Prior to his tenure in the House, Kolb served eight years on the Ann Arbor City Council and was Mayor Pro-tem from 1994 through 2000.

In the Michigan House, Kolb supported environmental legislation such as the Open Space Preservation Act, signed into law by Governor Jennifer Granholm.

On leaving the House of Representatives, Kolb accepted a job with the Early Childhood Investment Corporation, a state agency charged with the education of children under the age of five.

He also served as executive director of Unity Michigan, a statewide coalition of LGBT advocacy groups.

Chris Kolb is responsible for providing university-wide leadership, strategic vision and effective management of U-M’s government relations programs at the local, state and federal levels, as well as the Economic Growth Institute and U-M’s participation in the University Research Corridor.

In 2010, he declined to run for the Michigan Senate in the 18th District, a seat left open when Democratic Sen. Liz Brater was termed out.