For Immediate Release
Aug. 20 , 2008
Contact: Jack Penchoff
859-244-8153

Whatley Named CSG Washington Office Director

The Council of State Governments has a new leader in its Washington, D.C., office. Chris Whatley, who has served CSG as director of international affairs for eight years, has been named Washington Office director effective Aug. 18.

In announcing the appointment, CSG Executive Director Dan Sprague said Whatley is well-qualified to lead the office. “Chris has a good understanding of the wide range of Washington, D.C., office responsibilities and is well-prepared for this position,” Sprague said.

Whatley joined CSG in November 2000 and has directed international initiatives and federal advocacy campaigns while also serving as staff director for CSG’s affiliated association of international trade directors, The State International Development Organizations, or SIDO.

“Chris has significant experience working with federal constitutional principles and with experts in African nations,” Sprague said. “He has staffed a start-up affiliate organization of state trade directors and assisted in establishing SIDO as an effective influence on federal trade policy.”

Whatley has represented the interests of state government in trade negotiations as a member of the Intergovernmental Policy Advisory Committee of the United States Trade Representatives. He has also managed a wide portfolio of conferences, exchanges, research projects and communications efforts for CSG. He also was involved in establishing the Border Legislative Conference, which provides a platform for cross border dialogue on various policy issues for states along the U.S.-Mexico border.

The experience should serve Whatley well in his new role.

“With a new Congress, a new administration, and a growing state fiscal crisis, intergovernmental cooperation has never been more important,” Whatley said. “The challenge for CSG’s D.C. office is to build upon the council’s unique strengths as a regionally based association servicing all three branches of state government to provide unique insights into how the states and the federal government can partner to address critical challenges in infrastructure, health care, economic development and other top public concerns.”

Prior to joining CSG, Whatley worked as a field officer and program officer for the International Republican Institute, a nonprofit foreign assistance organization. Whatley developed the institute’s strategic plan for assistance programs in Africa from 1998 to 2002, analyzing political, military and economic trends throughout the continent to identify priorities for assistance. As a field officer for the organization, he led and managed teams of professionals in highly volatile areas including South Africa, Nigeria, Zimbabwe and Liberia.

Whatley earned a master’s degree in foreign service in 1994 from Georgetown University. He holds a B.A. in government from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas.

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Founded in 1933, The Council of State Governments is a non-partisan organization serving the executive, judicial and legislative branches of state government by forecasting policy trends for the community of states, commonwealths and territories on a national and regional basis. It alerts state elected and appointed officials to emerging social, economic and political trends; offers innovative state policy responses to rapidly changing conditions; and advocates multi-state problem-solving to maximize resources and competitiveness. CSG provides state officials with the tools and strategies they need to implement effective policy and programs. It serves as a catalyst for state leadership, building new partnerships within government and among governing entities, promoting multi-state and regional cooperative ventures, and establishing vital links with the private sector and other civic leaders.