Christopher Counihan, Ph.D. has had convoluted career path that has taken him from public service to international insurance to academia and entrepreneurialism, then back into the public sector. After a stint as a Congressional Aide for a U.S. Representative in Philadelphia, he worked for a decade doing group employee benefits for expatriated workers, first as an underwriter at AIG & CIGNA, then rising to be the manage the launch of Allianz’s expatriate coverage across North American & the Caribbean. After 9/11, he left insurance to earn his Doctorate in International Relations (writing his dissertation on Highly Skilled Migration) and taught at the University of Delaware, St. Joseph’s University, and elsewhere for fifteen years. During that time, he ran (twice) for Delaware State Senate; received a patent on a method of data visualization and created a stock index simulation model and start-up, BullMarketFinder.com, based upon it; served as Managing Partner for a local Venture Capital firm, InfoVest, working on projects focusing on affordable housing, construction technology, green energy, and aluminum production. Prior to the pandemic, he became the Legislative Aide to New Castle County Councilwoman Dee Durham, serving constituents and drafting Ordinances on EV-Ready Homes, Solar-Ready Rooftops, Redevelopment Incentives, and more. Last August, he brought this wide-ranging experience to the State of Delaware where he now serves as the Director of the Division of Paid Leave for the newly mandated Paid Family Medical Leave insurance program.

Back to Learning