Vice President

Chris Ploch is a Vice President at Mission Strategies, where he supports clients with federal policy strategy, legislative advocacy, and regulatory engagement across energy, nuclear technology, and national security-related issues. In this role, Chris helps craft and execute targeted advocacy approaches that advance client priorities before Congress, the Department of Energy, the White House, and other components of the U.S. Government, particularly on complex, high-stakes policy and regulatory matters.

Before joining Mission Strategies, Chris was a political appointee in the Trump Administration, serving as Senior Advisor in the U.S. Department of Energy’s Office of Policy and the Office of Nuclear Energy, where he coordinated DOE’s implementation of four nuclear energy-related executive orders. He worked closely with DOE leadership, national laboratories, federal agencies, industry stakeholders, and White House offices, providing strategic analysis and helping drive high-impact policy execution across the nuclear energy landscape.

Earlier in his career, Chris held several legislative roles in the U.S. House of Representatives, including serving as Legislative Counsel to Congressman Byron Donalds (FL-19). In that capacity, he managed a broad policy portfolio encompassing energy, environment, defense, commerce, aerospace, natural resources, homeland security, transportation & infrastructure, natural disasters, judiciary, oversight, appropriations, and more. He drafted legislation and successfully navigated the legislative process (e.g., enactment of the FISHES Act), conducted pertinent policy analysis, supported bipartisan engagement, organized strategic policy briefings with the House Advanced Nuclear Caucus, and helped orchestrate major industry events, including the Florida Water Quality Summit. Chris also served on the House Committee on Appropriations, where he gained deep experience with the federal appropriations process.

Chris holds a Juris Doctor from the University of Florida Levin College of Law and is admitted to practice law in Florida and the District of Columbia. He earned his Bachelor of Arts in Political Science from the University of North Carolina at Pembroke, where he played Division II football and was elected team captain.