Chris Wilson (ICPES 90) attended the Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems (ICPES) in 1990 at The Fund for American Studies. Today he is CEO of one of the largest and most successful Republican political polling firms in the United States. “If not for my time at The Fund this would never have occurred,” said Wilson.

Before he came to Washington, D.C. in the summer of 1990, Wilson planned to enter law school after graduation, but his perspective and goals changed after he completed the program.

That summer he interned as National Field Director of the Conservative Leadership Political Committee, a PAC associated with Morton Blackwell’s Leadership Institute that places Youth Coordinators on political campaigns around the country.

I owe my entire career path to this time. The connections I made and relationships I built led to my next role as National Youth Coordinator on a Presidential campaign and eventually to my role as Executive Director of the Republican Party of Texas,” said Wilson.

Wilson quickly learned that “TFAS had earned a reputation among leaders in Washington as an elite program doing an exceptional job of preparing the leaders of tomorrow.”

According to Wilson, through his internship and his ICPES education he was able to open almost any door in D.C.

Wilson is still active with TFAS. He currently serves on the Alumni Council and tries to hire as many TFAS alumni as possible. He recently hosted a dinner at his home for alumni in Oklahoma. “I remain proud of my time in the program and list it with honor on my CV even today.”

Wilson resides in Oklahoma City with his wife of 19 years, Kathryn Mills Wilson, and their two boys, Denver, 9, and Carson, 7. He commutes to Washington for work when Congress is in session.