Gabriel J. Christian was born on Dominica and attended the Dominica Grammar School where he served as a member of the Dominica Cadet Corps, Deputy Headboy and President of the Dominica Federation of Students. He later attended Sixth Form College, and the University of the District of Columbia (UDC) College of Business and Public Management in Washington, DC where he graduated with a BBA in Procurement and Public Contracting. Mr. Christian studied law at Georgetown University Law Center in Washington, DC, graduating with the degree of Juris Doctor in 1991. Mr. Christian was admitted to the Maryland Bar in 1991 and is also a member of the US District for the District of Columbia, US District of Maryland and the Supreme Court of the United States of America.
Early in his career, Mr. Christian served as a Government Property Technician at Litton Systems Electronic Warfare Division, Litton-Amecom, in College Park, Maryland. In that position Mr. Christian managed the handling of government property used in manufacturing avionic systems for the F-16, F-111, EA-6B Prowler and P-3 Orion aviation platforms.
He later served as a law clerk at the firm of Farrington & Smallwood, and thereafter as an associate and partner with Farrington & Christian. During that time Christian litigated insurance defense cases for clients such as Prince George’s General Hospital on behalf of Dimensions Health Care Corporation, Allstate, USAA, the Hartford and other insurance carriers. Mr. Christian has represented private sector clients, churches and personal injury/criminal defense clients, and has litigated hundreds of cases in state and federal courts in Maryland.
He has distinguished himself as an 8thactive civic leader in Maryland and Washington, DC. Mr. Christian served on the leadership of the Dominica Association of Washington DC (DAWDC) in various roles as PRO, Secretary, and Vice President between 1983-2000. In 2000 Mr. Christian assisted the revival of the Dominica Cadet Corps which had gone into dormancy following independence from Britain at the direction of Prime Minister Rosie Dougals and alongside his former Lieutenant Francis Richards and others. In 1989 he became President of the DAWDC. Mr. Christian was also the co-founder of the Dominica Academy of Arts & Sciences in 2000 and the Rosie Douglas Foundation. He served as a founding member and General Counsel of the Institute of Caribbean Studies between 1994 and 2015. Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, appointed Mr. Christian to the position of Judicial Commissioner, Maryland Court of Appeals in 2007 and later appointed him in 2012 as a Commissioner to the first Caribbean Commission founded by a state government in US history. In 2023 Maryland Governor Wes Moore appointed him to another term as a Commissioner of the Maryland Governor’s Commission on Caribbean Affairs. Mr. Christian has also served as a past President and board member of the East Coast Chapter Tuskegee Airmen, Inc., and as General Counsel to the Ethiopian Crown Council led by HIH Prince Ermias Selassie Haile Selassie.
Awards:
Commander of the Ethiopian Lion (1997) and Knight Grand Cross of Ethiopia (2017) by HIH Prince Ermias Sahle Selassie Haile Selassie President of the Ethiopian Crown Council.
Dominica Cadet Corps Revival Medal (2002).
Presidential Lifetime Achievement Award for Voluntary Service from President of the United States of America Joseph Biden Joseph Biden (September 2022).
From 2014 to 2023 Mr. Christian served as general counsel to Avdyne AeroServices, LLC which he now serves as COO.
Rank: Captain, Dominica Cadet Corps (ret.)