Head of Government Affairs, SolarWinds, USA
Chip is the first head of Government Affairs at SolarWinds, an industry-leading IT network management and monitoring software company based in Austin, TX. Chip and his team are responsible for monitoring and assessing the legislative and regulatory environments, as well as liaising with policy and federal administration leaders and agencies. A retired U.S. Army officer, Chip served in the Army's Office of the Chief Legislative Liaison. This team liaises with the U.S. Congress to craft the annual National Defense Authorization Act (the “defense bill”) to obtain the authorities and funding to support all Army policy and modernization programs, obtaining over $178 billion in 2020. Additionally, he advised senior defense officials at the Secretarial level on Congressional engagement and funding strategies. Previously, Chip served as the Chief of Staff of all U.S. forces in Afghanistan, leading a staff of over 780 uniformed and civilian professionals in managing the $3.4 billion operating budget, as well as all human resources, IT, and logistics functions for over 13,000 U.S. service members. Chip holds a B.S. from Virginia Tech, an MBA from Duke University, and a Masters of Strategic Studies from the U.S. Army War College, where he was a Distinguished Graduate. Chip and his wife have three children and reside in Fairfax Station, VA.
