iHeart Radio: CEO’s You Should Know - Kris Valerio Shock, President & CEO of Leadership Anne Arundel

Kris Valerio Shock is the President & CEO of Leadership Anne Arundel. As a graduate of the Leadership Anne Arundel Flagship program (2006), Kris is excited to mix her personal and professional experience to expand the visibility, value and reach of the LAA program and network.

Prior to joining LAA, Kris served as the senior director of the Office of Strategic Industries and Entrepreneurship at the Maryland Department of Commerce where she led a team of experts in manufacturing, education and innovation, agribusiness and energy and entrepreneurship and capital attraction.

From 2008 to 2015, Kris served as executive director of the Chesapeake Regional Tech Council, overseeing its transition from a local group with a focus on Anne Arundel County to a regional business organization with members throughout the Washington-Annapolis-Baltimore region. The tech council’s membership also grew from 200 to more than 300 companies under her leadership, grant funding increased more than 200 percent and total revenue doubled. Shock also designed, developed and implemented a marketing strategy to promote the council’s new brand and ongoing program of work.

A native of Annapolis and a graduate of Towson University, Kris’ career has spanned the gamut beginning as a professional actor, writer and producer in New York City to sales representative, organizational manager and senior business developer. Her passion is connecting individuals and organizations to opportunities to expand and grow in Maryland.

Britt sits on the Executive Advisory Board for the Salvation Army of Central Maryland and Junior Achievement of Central Maryland. She is on the Women's Committee for the Associated Builder's & Contractor's Association of MD. She was named as both a 40 Under 40 and Enterprising Woman of the Year Honoree by Baltimore Business Journal. Britt is a mentor and public speaker, consistently traveling the country speaking to students, fortune 500 companies, and small businesses about female leadership and entrepreneurship, and how to build a business in a male-dominated industry. As an extension of her efforts to teach business and entrepreneurship, in 2023 she founded the rapidly growing Love 'n Business podcast that she co-hosts with her husband.