Chrysovalantis (Chrys) P. Kefalas, Esq. is managing vice president of brand strategy at the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), the nation’s largest industrial trade association. A trusted advisor to the NAM’s president and CEO and senior leadership, Chrys leads the organization’s brand strategy, executive communications, marketing, digital, data science and creative teams—driving alignment, innovation and growth across the association’s core initiatives.

Over the past decade, Chrys has played a pivotal role in redefining how the NAM connects with the public, policymakers and key stakeholders. He founded and built Creators Wanted—the largest public affairs campaign in the NAM’s history—mobilizing companies, influencers and community partners to elevate the perception of manufacturing. Following the campaign’s national tour conclusion in 2023, he conceived and led the Route 250 Initiative pilot, which has become a blueprint for community-based brand activations tied to America’s 250th anniversary. The initiative strengthened civic engagement and trust in business while amplifying shared American ideals.

Chrys also serves as Editor-in-Chief of Input, the NAM’s daily executive briefing for industry leaders, and leads the NAM’s strategic adoption of generative AI technologies—driving forward-looking innovation in communications and advocacy.

Chrys’s professional background spans public affairs, law and entrepreneurship. He previously served as a speechwriter to the U.S. Attorney General, trial attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice, business litigator and deputy legal counsel to the Governor of Maryland—becoming the youngest attorney to hold such a role in the state’s history. In 2016, Chrys ran for the U.S. Senate, during a brief leave from the NAM, and earned the endorsement of The Baltimore Sun. “The retirement of Sen. Barbara Mikulski at a time when Maryland voters are rallying around Republican Gov. Larry Hogan gives the state’s minority party the best chance it has had in a generation to capture one of the state’s two U.S. Senate seats,” The Baltimore Sun Editorial Board wrote. It concluded, “When Republican primary voters go to the polls …, they should pick the candidate not only best positioned to take advantage of that opportunity but also to serve the state with distinction in Washington, and that is attorney Chrys Kefalas.”

In addition to his public service and association leadership, Chrys is the founder of Yala Greek Ice Cream—the first authentic Greek ice cream brand in the United States. Launching Yala Greek Ice Cream has given him a hands-on understanding of the challenges and realities manufacturers face daily. As a business owner and operator, he has navigated sourcing, regulatory compliance, product development and production—bringing a practitioner’s insight to his leadership for the manufacturing sector.

Chrys’s writing and thought leadership have appeared in The Washington Post, The Chicago Tribune, The Hill, The Baltimore Sun and The Huffington Post, while his ghostwritten work has been featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, USA Today and Politico. He is a graduate of Loyola University Maryland and the University of Baltimore School of Law.