Chris Lukach, APR, is president and owner of AKCG - Public Relations Counselors, a national public relations firm specializing in issue and crisis preparedness and response.Chris has been instrumental in developing issue and crisis communications plans and advising clients facing crises in several industries, including healthcare, education and chemical manufacturing. Chris also leads the firm's spokesperson training team, guiding subject matter experts from scientific researchers, to health system and university presidents, to religious officials to be effective communicators in today's nuanced and challenging media landscape. In addition, Chris has extensive experience counseling nonprofit and corporate executives alike in establishing thought leadership positions that support bottom-line business goals.Chris serves on the executive committee of IPREX, an international network of independent PR firms of which AKCG is the sole Philadelphia-area affiliate. Through the firm's IPREX relationship, Chris and his AKCG team have provided crisis-communication counsel to clients on six continents.Chris is a past president and chair (2011-2012) of the Philadelphia Public Relations Association, and the youngest leader in the association's 70-year history. He remains active with the organization, serving as a director and a past-presidential board appointee. He also serves on the board of WHYY, Inc., the Philadelphia area's leading public media provider. Chris is a 2004 magna cum laude graduate of Rowan University, where he received a Bachelor of Arts degree in communications with a specialization in public relations and a concentration in honors studies. In 2016, Chris was named to the university's inaugural 40 Under 40 list; in 2018, he was named the university's Distinguished Alumnus. He earned his Masters in Legal Studies from Drexel University.