Chris Drew Ph.D.

Chris Drew, Ph.D., is a former D1 athlete, former professor, former technology sales and operations professional, and current author, entrepreneur, and devoted dad and husband. After wrapping up his career on the court—including a short career as a college basketball referee—he earned a Ph.D. in Literacy Studies and Anthropology and became a professor. Following his days in the classroom and in the field as a researcher, Chris founded Pocket Literacy Coach / Parent University, which earned recognition from numerous social impact and early childhood education organizations for its efficacy as a parent empowerment tool, with peer-reviewed research documenting select examples of impact. This work became the inspiration for Parent Win and Max Makes Moves, a parenting book and illustrated children's book, respectively. He then became the founding Director for Educator Micro-Credentialing at the National Center for Research in Advanced Information and Digital Technologies, a non-profit organization originated by the U.S. Congress, colloquially known as Digital Promise. For eight years following his time in non-profit, Chris joined the for-profit technology sector in business development, sales, and go-to-market operations before returning to his roots as a social impact entrepreneur founding VEXT, a mental health platform that identifies people who need support—but who won't or can't get support themselves—and activates their tribe to push support to them in real-time. The mission of VEXT is to be both a preventative mental health intervention and to early-identify the 50-60 percent of people who will consider or attempt suicide but who will never tell anybody—including their counselor—they are considering it.