Chris Garcia

Acting National Director, Minority Business Development Agency
Chris Garcia was appointed as the National Deputy Director of the U.S. Department of Commerce, Minority Business Development Agency on May 22, 2017.  In his role as the Acting National Director, Garcia works to ensure that the nation’s 8 million minority-owned businesses have the resources they need to expand economic opportunity and create jobs.

Before joining MBDA, Garcia worked for a private family office and Niagara International Capital Ltd., where he helped expand the company’s investment banking division. He was the founder and CEO of Advantage Line Global (ALG), a multimillion-dollar technology startup, and was a co-founder of TapEx, a mobile shipping, delivery, and logistics platform for businesses and individuals. Garcia was also the former managing principal of Chris Garcia & Associates, a U.S.-based consulting firm specializing in international markets, M&A advisory, political strategy, and government affairs.

Mr. Garcia lends his expertise as an entrepreneur and investment banker to the global business community.  In 2014 he was selected as the youngest person to represent the United States as a delegate in the State Department's Global Entrepreneurship Program (GEP). In this role, he was invited to speak at global entrepreneurship summits in Greece, Kenya and Silicon Valley. He has also spoken at international conferences in Germany and Poland.

A graduate of Pepperdine University in Malibu, California, Mr. Garcia earned his B.A. in Economics as a Bill Gates Millennium Scholar.  He served as an advisor to President Trump's National Diversity Coalition during the 2016 presidential election.