ABOUT US

Christopher R. Upperman

Manager, Governance & Strategic Initiatives
Facebook
Mr. Christopher R. Upperman, is a Manager in the Governance & Strategic Initiatives Organization
at Facebook. He is the Lead for Partnerships and contributes cross-functionally for the Insights,
Public Affairs and Governance pillars, with a focus on Insights. The Insights Pillar delivers
perspectives that help inform critical leadership decisions, bringing data-driven research to develop
new hypotheses about societal issues and combining them with deep policy expertise to derive
their implications for Facebook at-large.

Mr. Upperman is Board Member of Envolve Entrepreneurship (Envolve), and prior to his time at
Facebook was the CEO of Envolve—a multinational NGO—that is committed to cultivating
entrepreneurial ecosystems through the provision of financial assistance and business support
services to diverse and underserved entrepreneurs. The organization is an advocate for SMBs and
regularly engages with Members of Congress. Envolve facilitates an annual funding competition
that grants startup and working capital among other business support. Under his leadership since
2017, the organization declared 57 grantees and deployed more than $4.8MM in funding.

Prior to his time at Envolve, Mr. Upperman served as an Obama Administration official at the U.S.
Small Business Administration (SBA), as Assistant Administrator of the Office of Public Engagement.
Notable initiatives Christopher was responsible for include the Scale Up America initiative, the
second Global Small & Medium Enterprises (SME) Ministerial, the Business Smart Toolkit, the MBK
Careers in Entertainment Tour, SBA’s Millennial Entrepreneur Champions initiative which included
the Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences Careers in Film Summit. At SBA, Christopher
reported to the SBA Administrator, in his role as the Head of the office, Mr. Upperman managed
SBA stakeholder relationships including agency outreach to civil society, think tanks, private sector
partners, and inter-agency task forces. His portfolio also included management of the SBA’s
Department of Faith-Based Outreach and Community Initiatives that directly engaged with a broad
coalition of faith communities to advise on policies that helped undeserved groups start businesses
and increase pathways to improved business opportunities and access to capital. Preceding his time
as Assistant Administrator, Christopher served as Senior Advisor for Entrepreneurial Development
and focused on strategic initiatives, policy development and the establishment of domestic and
international entrepreneurial programs. Throughout his tenure, Christopher was one of the agency’s
principals for the African American and Millennial communities and served as the SBA’s
representative for the White House “My Brother’s Keeper” (MBK) Task Force.

Before joining the SBA, Christopher served at the White House as Director of Presidential Student
Correspondence within the Office of Presidential Correspondence. While there, he was responsible
for managing the daily operations of the department and disseminating letter correspondence to
citizens 18 years and below on behalf of President Barack Obama. In addition to his duties at
Correspondence, he was an inter-organizational advisor to the Office of Public Engagement and
Michael Strautmanis—Chief of Staff to the Assistant to the President for Intergovernmental
Relations and Public Liaison.

In advance of his time at the White House he served in the United States House of Representatives
as an Aide for the District of Columbia’s Delegate to Congress, Eleanor Holmes Norton. Mr.
Upperman focused on local district issues, which included his appointment as Program Manager
for the inaugural DC Commission on Black Men & Boys—a program that addressed policy implications that disproportionately impact Black men in the District of Columbia. He was a key
advisor responsible for coordinating external meetings, briefings, and developing messaging
strategies in conjunction with the Communications Director for public events.

Prior to relocating to the Washington, D.C. metro area to participate in the White House Internship
Program in the Fall of 2009, Christopher worked for Bank of America, as a credit analyst, assessing
consumer credit and debt-risk analysis while finishing his college degree. While at Georgia State
University, He served as a Junior Research Analyst intern for the United States Commission on Civil
Rights (USCCR) in the Southern Regional Office. At the USCCR, he assisted in researching for, and
writing, a federal report underscoring the efficacy of supplemental educational services for The
Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) in South Carolina.

Mr. Upperman currently serves on several Advisory Boards including the Obama Foundation’s My
Brother’s Keeper Alliance (MBKA), the National Black MBA Association, NextGen Chamber of
Commerce, legal technology company Court Buddy, and was a Center for American Progress (CAP)
Leadership Institute Fellow in 2012. He has been featured in Inc.com, Huffington Post, and has been
interviewed by several outlets, including the National Urban League’s “For the Movement” podcast.
His volunteerism includes informally advising several Millennial Members of Congress, a New York
State Assemblyman and a local DC City Councilmember, as well as coaching startups and small
business owners. He is passionate about education and mentors underserved students at
ScienceMentors 1to1. Christopher attended Georgia State University, in Atlanta, Georgia, where he
received his Bachelors of Arts in Sociology. He was honored as a Georgia State University 40 Under
40 in 2019. He is originally from Kennesaw, a metropolitan city and suburb northwest of Atlanta,
Georgia.
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