Speakers & VIPs

Congressman Chris Van Hollen

Chris Van Hollen was first elected to the House of Representatives in 2002 and was later reelected with 75 percent of the vote. He has been recognized for his efforts and leadership in a range of areas of including education, foreign policy, environmental protection, protecting the rights of federal employees, and civil rights. Roll Call newspaper named him one of the “rising stars” in Congress and The Washington Post recently noted that Van Hollen “has distinguished himself as a shrewd legislative player.”

In his first term, Van Hollen was singled out as the “Outstanding New Member of the Year” by the Committee for Education Funding, the nation’s largest and oldest non-partisan education coalition; and he has already received numerous other awards for legislative leadership. Rep. Van Hollen and his wife, Katherine, live in Kensington, Maryland with their three children, Anna, Nicholas, and Alexander.