David J. Christopher Appointed Chief of Operations


David J. Christopher, Chief of Operations

Register of Copyrights Maria A. Pallante has named David J. Christopher to the position of Chief of Operations, United States Copyright Office, effective December 17, 2012. Christopher assumes the duties following 18 months as the chief of the Office's Information and Records Division, where he managed the public information office, publications and document recordation, and commenced several of the Register's ongoing special projects, including the digitization of millions of historic copyright records and overhaul of the processes for publicly recording and searching copyright titles, assignments and licenses. Since joining the Copyright Office in 2006, Christopher has been involved in almost all of the Office's business functions, including registration processes, union negotiations, budgeting, external communications, federal contracts, strategic planning, and ongoing reengineering efforts.

"David is creative, collaborative and results-driven," said Pallante. "He will be a great asset to the Office at a time when we need to be all of those things."

As Chief of Operations, Christopher will supervise the day-to-day operations of the Copyright Office, including financial controls, budget, human capital, statutory royalty investments, mandatory deposit and acquisitions, contracts and strategic planning functions. He will work closely with senior managers in technology, registration, policy and the greater Library of Congress, as the Office concludes a two-year transitional work plan and begins to implement new initiatives and direction, including for records search, repositories and fee adjustments. His first assignment will be to oversee a strategic reorganization of the Copyright Office, to better align the business functions with business needs and better manage resources, according to Pallante.

"It's an exciting time to be in the Copyright Office and I am grateful for this opportunity," said Christopher. "We have a dedicated, professional staff who are passionate about public service. I am fortunate to be part of the team."

Christopher holds a bachelor's degree in philosophy from the University of Tennessee and a master's degree in international commerce and policy from George Mason University. He is also a graduate of the Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education Program and was selected as a Presidential Management Fellow by the Library of Congress in 2005.

Christopher takes the reins from Melissa Dadant, who was named Senior Advisor for Operations and Special Projects in 2011. Dadant will retire in February 2013 after a distinguished Copyright Office career.