AIC Announces Chris Toppings as New Co-Head of Government Affairs Alongside Newly Promoted Lee Slater
Dunham: “Chris brings deep expertise in tax, trade, and financial services policy. Paired with Lee’s extensive leadership experience at the highest levels of government, they will be an invaluable resource to AIC members.”
Washington, D.C. – Today, the American Investment Council announced Christopher J. Toppings as the organization’s new Co-Head of Government Affairs. Along with Chris’s hiring, AIC announced the promotion of current Senior Vice President of Government Affairs Lee Slater to Co-Head of Government Affairs. Both Chris and Lee will steer bipartisan advocacy efforts for AIC at the federal and state levels.
Will Dunham, President and CEO of the American Investment Council, released the following statement:
- “With nearly two decades of experience on Capitol Hill, Chris brings deep expertise in tax, trade, and financial services policy. Paired with Lee’s extensive leadership experience at the highest levels of government, they will be an invaluable resource to AIC members and are exceptionally well-positioned to educate lawmakers across the political spectrum about how private investment promotes American innovation, directly backs millions of jobs, and strengthens retirement security.”
Toppings joins the AIC after working on Capitol Hill for nearly twenty years, most recently as a Senior Policy Adviser to U.S. Senate Republican Leader John Thune (R-SD) on tax, trade, and financial services issues. Most recently, he led policy development for the Senate Finance and Banking Committee provisions in the One Big Beautiful Bill Act of 2025. He also helped achieve the legislative passage of the GENIUS Act, which established the first federal regulatory framework for stablecoins. Earlier in his career, Toppings served as Legislative Director for Senator Richard Burr (R-NC) and worked on the Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions (HELP) for Senator Michael Enzi (R-WY).
Slater, who joined AIC earlier this year as Senior Vice President of Government Affairs, previously served as Deputy Assistant to President Joe Biden and Deputy Director of Legislative Affairs at the White House, where he led negotiations with House and Senate leadership and crafted congressional engagement strategies. Previously, Slater was a Special Assistant to the President and House Legislative Liaison. Slater also worked in the House of Representatives for more than a decade for House Ways & Means Committee Chairman Richard Neal (D-MA) and Representative John Larson (D-CT). Slater served as a Staff Sergeant in the U.S. Army Reserve, volunteering for multiple deployments to Afghanistan and Iraq and receiving numerous awards and decorations for his military service.
Toppings and Slater will serve as valuable resources for AIC members as they work to educate lawmakers across the political spectrum about the role of private equity and private credit in strengthening small businesses, creating job opportunities, and fueling American innovation.
