Falls Church, Virginia, United States
Christian A. Klein is an experienced public affairs, political communications, association management, and legal professional. For more than 20 years, Christian has represented trade association clients in Washington, D.C. as a registered lobbyist, managed association government affairs programs and political action committees, overseen economic research and strategic planning projects, developed and executed public relations campaigns, served as his clients’ primary media spokesperson, and provided legal counsel services to nonprofit organizations. Christian has been a managing member and head of Obadal, Filler, MacLeod & Klein, P.L.C.’s advocacy practice group since the firm’s creation in 2003. He currently serves as executive vice president of the Aeronautical Repair Station Association. From 2004 to 2017, Christian served as vice president of government affairs for Associated Equipment Distributors. He also served for a decade as executive secretary of the National Stone, Sand & Gravel Association’s Pulverized Minerals Division. For 15 years, Christian was a member of the adjunct faculty at the University of Virginia where he taught courses in political public relations, PR ethics and law, and PR writing. He is also president of the College of William and Mary’s Public Policy Program Advisory Board. Christian earned a juris doctorate and a master’s degree in congressional politics from the Catholic University of America in 1995; a Bachelor of Arts degree with honors in international relations from William and Mary in 1992; and a post-graduate certificate in public relations from the University of Virginia in 2005. In 2020, he was invited to be a member of the inaugural class of the Harvard Kennedy School's Legislative Negotiation Institute certificate program. Klein is admitted, inter alia, to the bars of the Commonwealth of Virginia, District of Columbia, U.S. Court of Appeals for the Armed Forces, and U.S. Supreme Court.
Manage public policy advocacy practice for Alexandria, Virginia law firm specializing in providing legislative and regulatory lobbying and trade association counsel and management services.
Manage legislative, political, public relations, and strategic planning activities for global aviation maintenance and manufacturing trade association.
Produce and act in independent films. Major projects: Operation Slingblade (2023), Official Selection, Orlando Film Festival, Paris, Austin, New York, Berlin & Los Angeles Lift Off Film Festivals, Blow-Up Arthouse Filmfest, Chicago. Twice Dead Ted (2020), Winner, Washington, D.C. 48 Hour Global Film Challenge First States (2019), Winner, Programmer's Award for Outstanding Filmmaking and Official Selection, Film Invasion Los Angeles (2020); Semi-Finalist, Blow-Up International Arthouse Filmfest Chicago (2020); Official Selection, Lift Off Global Network Los Angeles, Lift Off Global Film Network New York, Lift Off Global Network London, Lift Off Global Network Paris, Lift Off Global Network, Melbourne (2020). Varus (2019), Nominee: Best Actor in a Comedy (Christian Klein), Best Cinematography
W&M Public Policy provides undergraduate and graduate students with the intellectual tools needed to improve the quality of policy making in the United States and abroad. In my capacity as an advisory board member and first vice president, I have sponsored numerous research projects, recruited a cadre of senior public policy professionals to the board, mentored students, hosted student interns in my firm, and helped raise money for scholarships and other activities.