Chris Blankenship is the Commissioner of the Alabama Department of Conservation and Natural
Resources (DCNR), appointed by Governor Kay Ivey in May of 2017. He has been with
ADCNR since 1994, when he joined the Department as a Conservation Enforcement Officer in
the Marine Resources Division.
Chris serves on many boards and commissions and is Chairman of the Forever Wild Land Trust
Board as well as Chairman of the Innovate Alabama Council on Outdoor Recreation. Chris also
previously served as a member of the Board of Control of the Employees Retirement System of
Alabama.
Having been integrally involved in the State’s response to the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill from
the beginning, Chris has a solid background for the oil spill recovery and restoration work he
handles as Governor Ivey’s appointed designee overseeing all the DWH funding allocated
directly to the State of Alabama.
He has been happily married to Allyson Blankenship for 32 years and has three adult children.
He is a native of Dauphin Island, Alabama, and currently resides in Montgomery, Alabama.
May 23, 2024–Karen Hong / CEO, Continental Aerospace Technologies
Karen Hong is the Chief Executive Officer for Continental Aerospace Technologies.
Karen served as the Global Chief Financial Officer for Continental since 2019 and brings 25+ years of experience in Finance, Accounting, Strategic Planning, Team Development, and world-class Manufacturing experience to the organization. During her time with Continental, she has managed the Finance, Accounting, and IT teams and played a significant role in Continental’s public listing. Before joining Continental, Karen held multiple executive positions in FCA (Fiat Chrysler Automobiles).
Karen has a Master’s degree in Economics from the University of Detroit and an MBA from the University of Michigan