ABOUT CHRIS
Communicator. Entrepreneur. Civic leader. Wichita.
Two decades of turning bold ideas into practical wins
Campaign strategist. Business builder. Civic champion. Chris Pumpelly helps organizations and leaders find their voice, shape their message, and move the needle -- whether that means winning elections, launching ventures, or changing policy.
Chris Pumpelly is a Wichita-based communicator, entrepreneur, and champion for inclusive economies who turns bold ideas into practical wins for working- and middle-class families.
Raised in College Hill and dual-degreed in Journalism and Communication Studies at the University of Kansas, Chris has spent two decades helping people and places tell their best story.
As a campaign strategist, he has shaped messaging that moves markets and elections -- from mobilizing voters for President Obama's 2012 re-election in Ohio to guiding a NYC legal tech startup's 2015 launch. His media shop helped elect Wichita's first millennial mayor in 2019 and has powered dozens of national, state, and hometown campaigns.
Back in Wichita, Chris founded Proud of Wichita, Inc. -- the region's LGBT Chamber of Commerce -- building memberships, corporate partnerships, and annual marquee festivals. As Mayor Whipple's Park Board president, he championed vibrant public green spaces citywide. He also led the grassroots push that secured the historic 2021 city nondiscrimination ordinance, protecting thousands of residents and declaring to the world Wichita is open for business to everybody.
In 2025, Chris ran for Wichita City Council District 1 on a platform of building 10,000 new homes, cutting property taxes, delivering a world-class riverfront, and investing in safer neighborhoods.
HOW I WORK
"I don't do fancy talk. I do measurable results."
"Every project starts with one question: what does winning look like?"
"You don't need more consultants. You need one who actually delivers."