Chris Gast

Chris Gast is the Senior Director of Student Resources and a part-time Professor of Practice at the University of Arizona James E. Rogers College of Law. Serving as the College of Law’s “chief encouragement officer,” Chris is a frontline resource for students throughout their academic careers. He oversees student life at the College of Law, including orientation, graduation, and student organizations, and serves as a special advisor to first-generation law students.

As a navigator of university and College of Law resources, Chris encourages students to remember: “If you don’t know who to ask or where to go, reach out to me.”

Professor Gast has taught Leadership & Judgment (LAW 688) and Legal Analysis (LAW 679C) in the JD program, as well as American Public Law (LAW 404/504) in the MLS program.

Beyond the College of Law, Chris serves as Co-Chair of the Young Leaders United Executive Committee for United Way of Tucson and Southern Arizona and as Secretary & Executive Board Member of the National Association of Law Student Affairs Professionals (NALSAP). He is a past president of the Pima County Bar Association Young Lawyers Division, a former commissioner on the City of Tucson Planning Commission, and a 2021–2022 Fellow of the State Bar of Arizona’s Bar Leadership Institute. He is also the recipient of the 2023 NALSAP Innovation and Impact Award, the 2026 University of Arizona Excellence Award, and the 2026 40 Under 40 Award from the Southern Arizona Hispanic Chamber of Commerce.

Education