Chris Abele

Chris Abele is a civic leader, business owner, and philanthropist.  He is Managing Director of CSA Partners, a venture fund he founded in 2013, focused on high growth startup companies.  He is also partner and majority owner of gener8tor, a nationally ranked startup accelerator. From 2011 to 2020 he served as Milwaukee County Executive where he focused on lowering the county’s debt and deficit, improving efficiency, increasing accountability, building public private partnerships, and instituting a performance management culture.  Chris was also founding member of the Initiative on County Innovation at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government.  Prior to his time as County Executive, he was CEO of the Argosy Foundation, where he continues to serve as a trustee.

He is also a dedicated philanthropist, and volunteer work has included serving on and leading numerous local, national and international nonprofit boards. He currently serves as chair of the national One Victory board and is the Chair Emeritus of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America.

Chris was a Hunt Kean Leadership Fellow in 2017.  He studied at Lawrence University in Appleton, Wisconsin.