Senator Chris Coons (D-DE) is an honorary co-chair of ITIF.
Chris Coons was elected to the U.S. Senate in 2010 following terms as New Castle County Council President and New Castle County Executive. In the Senate, Chris sits on the Foreign Relations, Judiciary, Appropriations, Small Business, and Ethics committees, and he is leading a campaign in the Senate to refocus Washington’s attention on manufacturing jobs.
The Manufacturing Jobs for America (MJA) initiative aims to build bipartisan support for legislation that will modernize America’s manufacturing sector, help our manufacturers grow and create jobs, and equip American workers with the skills to succeed in the next generation of manufacturing jobs.
Chris is the lead sponsor of several bills included in the MJA initiative, and in December 2015, two of Chris’ legislative proposals – a permanent extension of the R&D tax credit, and a new provision to help startups and small businesses access that credit – were signed into law by President Obama.
Chris also partnered with Republican Senator Jerry Moran of Kansas to found the Senate Competitiveness Caucus, which seeks to foster greater awareness and understanding of issues critical to U.S. economic growth.
Prior to his public service, Chris worked as an attorney for Delaware-based W.L. Gore & Associates, an advanced materials manufacturing company.
Chris graduated from Amherst College with a B.A. in Chemistry and Political Science, and earned his law degree from Yale Law School and a Master’s in Ethics from Yale Divinity School. A longtime New Castle County resident, Chris lives in Wilmington with his wife, Annie, and their three children, Michael, Jack, and Maggie.