Biography

Chris Smithka is Corporate Counsel with Zendesk, Inc., a software company headquartered in San Francisco.  A member of the Global Commercial Transactions team, he drafts and negotiates commercial agreements and provides counsel to internal business teams. 

He was previously General Counsel & Corporate Secretary of Bluetree Network, Inc., a healthcare information technology consulting company, and Clinical Instructor & Supervising Attorney in the Law School's Law & Entrepreneurship Clinic.

Prior to moving back to Madison Chris worked as an associate in the international tax group of Deloitte Tax LLP in Milwaukee and New York City. Chris received his B.A. in Economics and Business Administration from Hanover College in 2005 and his J.D. with an international law concentration from the University of Wisconsin Law School in 2009.

Chris enjoys going to concerts and spending time with his wife and daughter.  He is Chair of the United Way of Dane County's Business Volunteer Network and serves on the board of the Friends of the Arboretum.