Chris Ullman likes his charitable commitments to be as individualized as possible. He enjoys serving as a mentor to individual students and leading small-group meetings. So when he received a message from The Fund for American Studies requesting support for five specific applicants who would not be able to attend a TFAS institute without scholarship support, he was inspired. “I was so impressed by the story of one of the young ladies in the email, and I was happy to make the TFAS experience possible for her,” said Ullman.
Ullman says he is deeply appreciative of the TFAS mission of educating students about freedom and free markets, which he feels is very important. “[TFAS] exposes and introduces the free-market way of conducting public policy to students who are way more likely to be exposed to Marxist ideology. And they do it in a very respectful and thoughtful way.” According to Ullman, it’s also important that TFAS teaches students how the D.C. ecosystem works, and how various fields such as economics, media and foreign policy all interact with each other.
[TFAS] exposes and introduces the free-market way of conducting public policy to students who are way more likely to be exposed to Marxist ideology. And they do it in a very respectful and thoughtful way.”
A Long Island native, Ullman attended the State University of New York at Binghamton and came to D.C. in 1987. He worked in the communications and public relations sphere for the House Budget Committee, the Securities and Exchange Commission and the Office of Management and Budget.
In 2001, Ullman joined The Carlyle Group, a global alternative asset manager based in Washington, D.C. Today he serves as the company’s managing director and director of global communications. In this role, Ullman develops and executes the firm’s external and internal communications and branding strategies and leads a team of 12 professionals in the U.S., Europe and Asia.
In addition to his financial support, Ullman is an active TFAS volunteer. He often lectures students on professional development and networking advice, has served as a mentor to students since 2001 and joined the TFAS Board of Regents in 2017.
Among his numerous accomplishments, Ullman can boast one very unique one: he is a four-time national and international whistling champion! He has whistled the national anthem at Major League Baseball games, NBA games and performed a private whistling concert for President Bush in the Oval Office.
His new book, “Find Your Whistle: Simple Gifts Touch Hearts and Change Lives,” is a memoir of his unexpected and delightful journey from learning to whistle at age five, to constantly practicing on his paper route as a teenager, to winning four national and international whistling competitions and being inducted into the International Whistling Hall of Fame. In the book, Ullman describes his conviction that all people possess a talent that can bring joy to others, if they can only find their “whistle.”
Ullman is married with three children and when not whistling, can be found cycling. For more information about Chris Ullman, his book and his whistling life, visit http://chrisullman.com.