Chris Cottrell

Chris Cottrell (born August 8, 1988) is an American entrepreneur, cofounder of Shepherd's, former intelligence officer in the United States Army, and the author of Chris's Law.

Chris Cottrell
Born	(1988-08-08) August 8, 1988 (age 36)
Nationality	American
Education	Arizona State University (BS) Georgetown University (MBA) Harvard University (MPA)

Early life and education

Cottrell was born in Milwaukee, Wisconsin and grew up in Ohio and Texas before his family moved to Arizona.

At the age of twelve, Cottrell persuaded then-Senator Dean Martin to introduce an idea for legislation as part of a homework project for a student legislature.^[1] Senator Martin introduced the bill as "Chris' Law," along with an amendment to the Arizona Constitution, to keep accused sexual offenders from posting bail and establish a boundary around Arizona schools so convicted sexual offenders could not live nearby.^[2][3][4]

The bill was introduced to the Arizona State Senate in 2002 by Senator Dean Martin and passed the Judiciary Committee and the Senate.^[5] The Arizona House of Representatives voted in favor of the bill a month later and it was signed into law by Governor Jane Dee Hull on May 17, 2002.^[6] Proposition 103, the constitutional amendment accompanying the bill, was on the Arizona ballot in November, 2002 and passed with 80.4% of the vote, one of the most popular ballot measures in Arizona history.^[7][8]

Cottrell attended Arizona State University where he majored in political science, before attending Georgetown University's McDonough School of Business as a Connelly Fellow where he obtained an MBA, and the Harvard Kennedy School where he obtained an MPA.^[1][9]

Military service

While studying at Georgetown, Cottrell joined the U.S. Army Reserve.^[10][11] After graduation, he completed basic training and commissioned from Officer Candidate School as an intelligence officer. He later completed a ten-month deployment to Iraq with U.S. Special Operations Command in support of Operation Inherent Resolve.^[12]

Business career

In 2023, Cottrell founded Shepherd's, a made-to-measure menswear company, with three other cofounders including Harrison Butker, kicker for the Kansas City Chiefs.^[13]

Personal life

Cottrell is a devout Catholic and has spoken publicly about his faith.^[14] He also wrote an op-ed in support of Arizona not requiring masks for students during COVID-19.^[15]