Chris Helfrich

Chris Helfrich is a social entrepreneur and nonprofit leader committed to solving community-based challenges through innovative, scalable solutions. He is the President and CEO of Stephen and Ayesha Curry’s Eat. Learn. Play. Foundation (ELP), which he helped launch in 2019. ELP supports access to nutritious food, quality education, and safe places to play—impacting thousands of children and families across Oakland, the Bay Area, and beyond. Previously, Chris served as CEO of Starlight Children’s Foundation, the nation’s leading nonprofit focused on improving hospital experiences for seriously ill kids. He spearheaded two breakthrough programs—Starlight Gowns and Starlight Xperience (with Google)—and led a nearly 400% increase in fundraising and program investment. Before that, he led the United Nations Foundation’s Nothing But Nets campaign, the world’s largest grassroots effort to fight malaria. Under his leadership, the campaign distributed over five million bed nets across 30 African countries and helped reduce global malaria deaths by 60%. He also recruited NBA star Stephen Curry to the cause, traveling with him to refugee camps in Tanzania and to the White House to advocate for global health policy. Chris is a graduate of Trinity University, where he was honored as Young Alumnus of the Year. He serves on the Board of Directors for Starlight and the Leadership Council for Classy. He lives in the Bay Area with his wife, Kate, and their three children.