Chriss Street has worked for thirty years as a money manager, investment
banker and corporate restructuring specialist. He has served as the
Chairman and CEO of two New York Stock Exchange listed companies, as
a Trustee for the United States Justice Department and as a member of the
Board of Directors for several corporations.
Street is a recognized expert in the area of municipal finance and is
frequently cited in national publications and on business programs. He
recently contributed to pieces in Barron's, Pension & Investments, and was
featured in a Bloomberg Magazine piece exposing the risk associated with Collateralized Debt
Obligations; Street has also authored articles for both Forbes and Institutional Investor. Mr.
Street has been interviewed as a featured analyst for news programs on CBS, ABC, National
Public Television and Bloomberg Television.
In early 2009, Mr. Street published a White Paper warning against the consequence of the
Federal government guaranteeing the State of California's sovereign debt. Street's article
garnered national attention and was cited in Barron's, Forbes Online, The Hill, Sacramento Bee
and Orange County Register. In May, Treasurer Street was asked to testify before the House
Financial Services Committee regarding this matter; Street was the only person to testify against
bailing out California and municipal investors in Lehman Brothers.
Chriss' association with the Orange County Treasurer's office dates back to 1994 when he
sounded the alarm on risky investments made by then County Treasurer Robert Citron. After
initially filing to run against the incumbent Citron, Mr. Street withdrew his candidacy and
endorsed John Moorlach in his bid for the office. Although Mr. Moorlach failed to unseat
Citron, Street's fears about the speculative investments were proven correct. Orange County's
investment pools suffered a catastrophic $2 billon loss and the County filed for the largest
municipal bankruptcy in the nation's history.
Chriss W. Street was sworn in as the Orange County Treasurer-Tax Collector on December 5,
2006 where he oversees a $7 billion dollar investment pool. In December 2008, Orange County
was the first county in the nation to receive a AAAm rating from Standard & Poor's; this is their
highest rating for both safety and liquidity. During his tenure the investment pools have twice
been ranked by TRACS Financial as one of the top ten performing government pools based on
return. Chriss is also a Trustee for the $6.5 billion Orange County Employee Retirement System.
A native of California, Mr. Street earned a Bachelors Degree in Economics from the University
of California at Irvine and is a graduate of the Stanford University School of Business. Chriss
has been involved in numerous charitable, professional and civic organizations such as; The
Homeland Security Advisory Board, Books for Freedom, the American Bankruptcy Institute and
the Orange County Employee's Retirement System. Chriss has been married for 30 years and is
the proud father of three adult children.