Chris Wahl has spent more than 30 years at the intersection of public policy, infrastructure, and community engagement. He is Co-Founder and CEO of Bodewell Group, formerly Southwest Strategies, which he launched in 2000 with Alan Ziegaus. Under his leadership, the firm has grown from a San Diego consultancy into a national strategic communications and advisory firm serving sectors critical to the American economy.
Wahl leads with discipline, structure, and accountability. He emphasizes senior talent, scalable systems and measurable performance standards. That operating philosophy has driven sustained growth and strategic expansion. In the past three years, Bodewell has completed four acquisitions, expanded into Arizona and Washington, and deepened its expertise across water, energy, transportation, and technology.
He has also made innovation a competitive advantage, spearheading the development of a proprietary AI-enabled business development and stakeholder engagement platform that has doubled the firm’s client base and delivered improved client service.
Today, Bodewell is among the largest strategic communications and advisory firms on the West Coast, with more than 140 professionals. The firm has supported over $100 billion in infrastructure projects nationwide and advises Fortune 500 companies, major developers, and public agencies on complex, high-stakes initiatives.
Wahl holds a B.A. in Political Science from UCLA and serves on the board of Saint Augustine High School.