jcdbio08

Chris Dowell Biography

    Jon Christian “Chris” Dowell was born in Washington, DC and
graduated from the University of Virginia in 1974 with a Bachelor of Art
degree in Psychology. That same year he entered active duty service in
the Armed Forces and was commissioned an Ensign in the United States
Navy. Chris completed twenty years of active duty service as a
Fighter/Attack Pilot, spending the majority of his career operating from
deployed US naval forces throughout the world. Additionally, Chris
completed an eighteen-month assignment to the French Naval War
College in Paris and a thirty-month operational exchange assignment flying
with French Naval Forces in southern France. Chris capped his naval
career with a Pentagon assignment as a Congressional Liaison Officer and
Air Specialist during which time he prepared congressional testimony and
senior level briefings on foreign and domestic issues. A major challenge of
this assignment was the “downsizing” of the US Navy, involving both the
re-organization and changing missions of our Armed Forces. Chris’
leadership experiences and international exposure provided him with a
strong appreciation for sound leadership and management principals.

   Upon completion of his naval career, Chris entered the private sector in
the field of executive search with D. E. Foster Partners, Inc. His career
has advanced professionally with a move to The Abbott Group Executive
Search as Senior Vice President and Partner, and later to James Martin &
Co, a Fairfax, Virginia based information technology and management
consulting firm, as Director of Staffing and Recruiting. Chris returned to
Foster Partners in 1999 to serve as its Managing Director in Charge of the
Washington, DC office and Practice Leader of the Non-Profit and Federal
Government Practices. In 2002, Chris and several of his previous
associates left Foster Partners to form the Breckenridge Group Executive
Search; Chris leads the Association Practice for The Breckenridge Group.
With offices in the Washington, DC area and New York City, the
Breckenridge Group is committed to providing quality service to their
existing clients throughout the country.

   Chris holds a Bachelor's Degree from the University of Virginia, a Master’
s Degree in Business Administration and Management from Webster
University, and is a graduate of the French Postgraduate Naval War
College. He is a member of the American Society for Association
Executives, the Society of Human Resource Management and numerous
other professional societies. Chris and his wife, Holly Carter, have been
married for 35 years and have four children, ages 21 to 31.