Kris Kiser, an attorney, is President & CEO of the Outdoor Power Equipment Institute (OPEI).  OPEI is an international trade association representing the manufacturers of outdoor power equipment, small engines, utility vehicles, golf cars and personal transport vehicles.  He is also Managing Partner of GIE+EXPO, the industry’s annual international trade show. Prior to joining OPEI, Kris served for 15 years in two major, Washington, DC trade associations representing automakers and the forest products industry.  He was Vice President, State and
International Affairs for the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers and Vice President, GovernmentalAffairs for the American Forest & Paper Association. 
Before joining the private sector he spent a decade as a staffer in the United States Senate and House of Representatives as a special assistant to noted international affairs expert Congressman Lee Hamilton. Hamilton served as Chairman of the Foreign Relations, Intelligence, and Joint Economic Committees during his tenure as well as Co-Chair of the 911 Commission and the Iran-Contra investigation. Kris is known as the “man behind the mutt” for his role in creating the TurfMutt Education Platform as head of the OPEI Education CEO; Research Foundation.  He is a passionate proponent of animal rescue, rehabilitation and adoption.  TurfMutt education has literally been used by tens of millions of students, teachers and families and is character based on his real life rescue pooch, Lucky the TurfMutt.