Chris is an Executive/Leadership Coach and OD Specialist for ELP. His education, by almost any standard, is impressive. Chris earned his bachelor’s degree from the University of Virginia and followed that up with an MBA from Webster University. Fluent in French, Chris also earned a graduate degree from the French Postgraduate Naval War College. To top it off, Chris also received his Professional Certificate in Leadership Coaching from George Mason University. And under the broad umbrella that more is better, add to Chris’s portfolio that of Navy fighter pilot. Chris retired after 20+ years in the Navy.

After his service in the Navy, Chris excelled in the executive search and placement firm of D.E. Foster Partners, an affiliate to KPMG Peat Marwick. In short order, he was promoted to Managing Director in charge of the Washington D.C. office and was also named Practice Leader of Non-Profit and Federal Government Practices. He followed that up with more accolades as a senior leader of the Breckenridge Group, an executive search firm where he led the non-profit and executive coaching practices. 

Chris’s service to ELP is storied. Chris partnered with ELP co-founder and principal, Ray Kniphuisen, to change the fortunes of a struggling nuclear power station in our nation’s Southeast. In one of the first ‘worst-to-first’ scenarios ever recorded in commercial nuclear power, the efforts of Chris and several other ELP leaders resulted in the publication of case studies and journal articles that celebrated and chronicled this accomplishment. Years later, this turnaround is still discussed within the nuclear power industry. Over the past decade with ELP, Chris built well over 100 simplified, strategic One Page Plans and engaged over 50 leaders in a coaching relationship. Several years ago, when the Department of Energy’s Western Area Power Association (WAPA) chose ELP to perform a first-of-its-kind quantitative and qualitative cultural audit, Chris emerged as the lead for this project. To this day, this report stands as a testament to the hard work and sophistication of ELP, in general, and Chris Dowell, in particular.

When Chris isn’t re-writing history for one of ELP’s clients, Chris can be found hiking, reading, cooking gourmet meals for friends and family, and pulling for his Washington Redskins.