Christopher Laxton is a career association professional with over 27 years in nonprofit leadership and management with vast experience in healthcare. Chris specializes in board development, organizational assessment and design, governance, strategic planning, and communications. He is a National Examiner for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award.

Most recently, Chris served as CEO of the National Certification Board for Therapeutic Massage and Bodywork (NCBTMB) with an operating budget of $11 million.

Prior to joining NCBTMB, he served as CEO of the American Association of Diabetes Educators (AADE) in Chicago. AADE is a multi-disciplinary organization of more than 10,000 health professionals dedicated to providing and advocating for quality diabetes self-management training.

He also served as Executive Director for the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology (APIC), the largest professional association representing infection prevention and control professionals worldwide.

Before becoming a CEO, Chris served as the vice president for communications and information services and director of publications at the National Association for Home Care. He also served as executive editor for the American Anthropological Association.

Chris has delivered numerous lectures and workshops on strategic planning and decision-making, and on the role of professional and trade associations, to both national and international audiences. He has also been published in numerous healthcare-related magazines, including the American Journal of Infection Control, as well as CARING and Caring People magazines.

Chris regularly volunteers at the national and local levels, including serving as a faculty member of the National Center for Nonprofit Board’s National Leadership Forum, chair of the Greater Washington Society for Association Executive’s CEO Advisory Council, and as a member of the Association Forum of Chicagoland’s CEOnly Council. In 2008, he served as a National Examiner for the prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award, the nation’s highest award for organizational excellence.

Chris received a Bachelors of Arts degree from McGill University.

He earned a Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from the American Society of Association Professionals.