Bio

Former Cabinet member and head of the US Small Business Administration, Chris Pilkerton currently serves as the Chief Legal and Regulatory Strategy Officer for the Accion Opportunity Fund, the nation’s largest non-profit Community Development Financial Institution (CDFI) concentrating on small business support for underserved communities. Alongside that role, he is principal of Rising Tide Strategies, which provides strategic business advice and policy consulting to organizations that support small business ecosystems. Pilkerton was formerly an Executive-In-Residence at Johns Hopkins University’s Carey School of Business (JHU), and is currently engaged in that same role at Georgetown University McDonough School of Business. Prior to his current position, Pilkerton served as a White House Senior Policy Advisor and former Acting Administrator of the SBA. He led the Jobs and Economy Pillar of the WH Domestic Policy Council and served as the Executive Director of its Opportunity Now initiative. In his role as SBA Acting Administrator, he served as a member of the President’s Cabinet. During his time at the SBA, he was also the agency’s General Counsel. Prior to his time with the SBA, Pilkerton was a compliance director at JP Morgan Chase. While there, he was named one of the “Heroes of the Fortune 500” by Fortune Magazine. Pilkerton’s legal career includes time as an Assistant District Attorney in Manhattan, SEC Senior Counsel and as a partner in two law firms. He served on the Board of Directors of NASDAQ Futures Exchange and was an Associate Director at the Catholic University of America Law School. Pilkerton was a Fulbright Teaching Scholar in Poland and holds a master’s degree in public administration from Columbia University’s School of International and Public Affairs. He earned his J.D. from the Catholic University of America, a bachelor’s degree from Fairfield University, and a certificate in data analytics from Cornell University’s College of Business. Pilkerton also serves as Vice-Flotilla Commander and Legal Officer in the US Coast Guard Auxiliary.