Chris Dornfeld
Co-Founder & President - Bonfyre

Chris Dornfeld is the president and co-founder of Bonfyre, the workplace culture platform that empowers people to connect, relate and engage. Chris leads company and product strategy along with the day-to-day operations. In addition, Chris regularly speaks around the country at industry events and conferences where he is recognized as a thought leader on social communication in the workplace, the future of the work experience and leveraging people analytics.

Prior to founding Bonfyre, Chris served in executive roles in several start-up companies, including a venture-backed health services start-up that grew to over 500 people in 18-months and annualized revenue of $120m. Chris served as the chief information officer for the City of St. Louis and during his tenure reorganized the city’s technology department and implemented a performance management program that saved millions of dollars while increasing transparency and productivity. For almost 20 years Chris has contributed to the entrepreneurial community in St. Louis, including time as the entrepreneurship collaboration director at Washington University in St. Louis, co-founding the first technology incubator in downtown St. Louis, guest lecturing at universities across the region and creating programs that have helped dozens of start-up companies.

Chris currently serves on the board of the Arts and Education Council and has served on the board of numerous not-for-profit organizations. Recently Chris led the creation of a national collaborative network to address STEM education in partnership with science centers, GE and National Geographic. In 2002, while CIO for the City of St. Louis, Missouri’s governor recognized Chris for his work as co-chair of the Eastern Missouri homeland security planning committee and in 1999 (at the age of 28) the St. Louis Business Journal named Chris one of the “40 under 40, most promising young business leaders”.