Chris Brown took office as Executive Director for Ark-Tex Council of Governments January 2, 2014, after swearing in the new Hopkins County Judge, a position he held since January 1, 2011. Prior to his new post, he served on the ATCOG Board since 2002, with eight years on the Executive Committee and the last three years as Treasurer. He has also served on the North East Texas Rural Planning Organization, and now chairs the I-30 Coalition within TEX-21. Judge Brown was inducted as a Fellow of the Texas Judicial Academy, involved as a member of Texas Association of Counties Core Legislative Group and the 2012 TAC Leadership Class. He also served as the ATCOG delegate for the Texas Association of Regional Councils (TARC) Board, the ATCOG representative on the National Association of Development Organizations (NADO) Board of Directors, and as Lead CEO of the North East Texas Workforce Development Board.

Chris entered public service with the Sulphur Springs Planning and Zoning Board. He was later elected to the Sulphur Springs City Council, where he served over 8 years with terms as both Mayor and Mayor Pro-Tem. He chaired the Tax Increment Finance Board while with the city, which is a collaborative effort of the county, city and hospital to launch an economic development and revitalization effort for the downtown area. He has also been involved in many other areas of industrial and retail growth planning and implementation. He resigned from the city council upon taking office as Hopkins County Judge.

Chris is a new resident of Texarkana, Texas, along with his wife Lezley, and their three daughters, Katey, Talley and Jobey, after relocating from his hometown of Sulphur Springs. He is also a real estate Broker and partner in RE/MAX Advanced in Sulphur Springs, which he and his sister began in 2006. He holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Texas A&M University – Commerce and has been involved in commercial and residential development. Chris has also served his community as a former Paramedic and Volunteer Firefighter, along with involvement in various church, community activities and service clubs.