Bobby rejoined The Charles Group, LLC as President in April, 2005 after serving
from 2003 to 2005 as Assistant Secretary of State, for International Narcotics and
Law Enforcement Affairs (INL), under Secretaries Colin Powell and Condoleezza Rice.
His tenure in the Bush Administration led to the development of strong international
relationships, which reinforce his strong ties with many in Congress and the administration.
Charles founded The Charles Group, LLC in 1999 upon leaving service as Staff Director
and Chief Counsel for the National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal
Justice Subcommittee (GRO) in the House of Representatives from 1995-1999. Charles
also served Subcommittee Chairman J. Dennis Hastert, onetime Speaker of the House,
as chief staffer to The Speaker’s Task Force on a Drug Free America from 1997-1999
and as top staffer to the Bi-Partisan Drug Policy Group from 1995-1999. Charles
maintains strong ties with House leadership.
A former litigator in New York and Washington, Charles worked at Weil Gotshal &
Manges and Kramer Levin between 1988 and 1995, clerked on the U.S. Court of Appeals
for the Ninth Circuit, and taught both Government Oversight and Cyberlaw at Harvard
University Extension School from 1998-2001. In 2000, he was awarded Harvard's prestigious
Petra T. Shattuck Award for Excellence in Teaching by the University. In the first
Bush administration, Charles served in the White House as Deputy Associate Director,
Office of Domestic Policy and served as a temporary appointee in the first-term
Reagan White House during three stretches of 1981, '82 and '83.
A regular writer and commentator in print and broadcast media, Charles remains close
to many top decision makers in Washington, and formerly penned a column for the
Washington Times. He authored Narcotics and Terrorism, a 2004 volume explaining
national security and homeland security implications inherent in the worldwide illicit
drug trade. He has also authored a number of academic studies and law review pieces.
He was a Navy Intelligence Reservist for ten years, and served on active duty at
the Pentagon immediately following the September 11th attacks.
Charles received his J.D. from Columbia Law School in New York, M.A. in Politics,
Philosophy and Economics from Oxford University in England, and A.B. from Dartmouth
College in New Hampshire. Raised in Maine, he now lives in Maryland with his wife
and two children.
Ben works with The Charles Group’s corporate and non-profit clients to advance important
public policy initiatives in Congress and executive agencies, and market products,
services, and programs to government customers. He also provides policy research
and analysis for national security organizations in the public sector. Ben has helped
non-profits and state governments win directed grants through federal appropriations.
He has also managed coalitions of diverse organizations to successfully drive legislative
change on public safety and homeland security issues. Prior to joining The Charles
Group at its inception in 1999, Ben served as Staff Assistant on the Subcommittee
on National Security, International Affairs, and Criminal Justice in the U.S. House
of Representatives. Ben earned a BA in Government (International Relations) from
Dartmouth College, and an MBA (Strategy and Entrepreneurship) from the University
of Maryland. He was born and raised in Davenport, Iowa.
Marina Charles has been with The Charles Group since 2003. She manages the company's
operations and participates in the development of white papers and studies. Prior to
joining The Charles Group, she spent twelve years as a corporate transactional attorney,
first in New York City, focusing on corporate finance and venture capital work, then in
Washington, DC as part of an international transactional practice group. Marina has
extensive experience in contracts and regulatory analysis as well as international
business matters. Marina received her BA, cum laude, in Government from Harvard
University and her JD from Columbia University Law School, where she was a Stone Scholar.
She is fluent in French and Russian and lives in Maryland with her husband and two children.
Susan joined The Charles Group in 2011 as Office Director and Executive Assistant to Robert (Bobby) Charles.
Prior to joining the firm, she spent 12 years as Scheduler and Executive Assistant to the CEO of a large corporation.
Susan has extensive experience in government relations, client outreach, office management and issues advocacy.
Susan received her B.A. from Simmons College, is a member of Women in Government Relations and serves as a member of the
Maryland Commission for Women. Originally from Connecticut, Susan lives with her husband and two sons in Maryland.
Connor Martin joined the Charles Group in 2007, first as a fellow and then as a research
and policy analyst. At the Charles Group, Connor focuses on transnational crime and
narcotics trafficking, counter-terrorism and related international security issues,
topics on which he has written extensively. Connor served four years of active service
in the U.S. Marine Corps and honorably completed his service obligation as a non-commissioned
officer in 2002. In 2007, he graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin at
River Falls with a B.S. in History and a minor in Criminal Justice. Later that year,
in addition to interning with The Charles Group, LLC, Connor completed a course of study
at the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems at Georgetown
University. Originally from Wisconsin, he currently lives in Arlington, Virginia.
Brian joined The Charles Group in October 2010 as a policy analyst; his research and writing focus
primarily on domestic counternarcotics concerns and international security issues. Prior to joining
The Charles Group, Brian worked at the Institute of International Education as the Program Coordinator
of the ROTC Language and Culture Program, a Department of Defense-sponsored program that delivers foreign
language and cultural education to ROTC cadets. From 2005-2008, Brian served on active duty as a US Army
Field Artillery officer, deploying to Baghdad during Operation Iraqi Freedom 07-09 as a platoon leader and
staff officer in the 4th Infantry Brigade Combat Team, 1st Infantry Division. Brian is a 2005 graduate of
Georgetown University’s Edmund A. Walsh School of Foreign Service, where he majored in International Politics,
specialized in Security Studies, and studied Russian. Brian also holds an MA in Global Security Studies from
Johns Hopkins University, earning honors for his thesis, “The United States Army and Counterinsurgency:
History, Culture, Application, and Institutionalization.”
Originally from Freehold, New Jersey, Brian now lives in Washington, DC.
Kaitlin Connell joined The Charles Group in October 2010 after earning her B.A. in International Relations from Johns Hopkins University (2009),
with a concentration in national security studies and a minor in history. While at Johns Hopkins University, Kaitlin worked as a public policy
intern for the Baltimore City Council and held leadership positions in campus political organizations.
She also served as president of Circle K, a Kiwanis Community Service Organization, and was a captain of Hopkins Hareepa, a competitive dance team.
Prior to joining The Charles Group, Kaitlin worked at the law office of Baach, Robinson & Lewis in Washington, DC.
At The Charles Group, Kaitlin focuses on transnational organized crime and international security issues.
Born and raised in Vero Beach, Florida, Kaitlin now resides in Arlington, VA.
Nelson joined the Charles Group in February of 2011 as a Government Affairs Associate.
With experience working for the Science & Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland Security,
he brings insights into both crisis response programs and high technologies that reinforce that mission.
Following graduation from Washington & Lee University, Nelson managed a portfolio of issues within a
leading non-profit organization focused on emerging transportation and infrastructure programs across Latin America.
Upon leaving that post, he served as a contractor to the Science & Technology Directorate at the Department of Homeland
Security, where he dedicated his chief attention to issues facing today’s first responder community and ways that new
technologies can benefit first responders on a daily operational basis. At Washington & Lee University, Nelson
graduated with a double major in Politics and Spanish in 2008. Originally from Raleigh, North Carolina, he currently
resides in Washington, DC.
Kalie Pierce joined The Charles Group in November, 2011 after graduating magna cum laude
from Dartmouth College (June, 2011) with a double major in International Relations and
Asian and Middle Eastern Studies. She received honors for her thesis on Foreign Policy
in the Middle East. While at Dartmouth, Kalie worked as a policy research intern at the
New America Foundation, and as an international public relations intern at the Taipei
City Government Department of International Affairs, and served as President of
Dartmouth Amnesty International. As a policy analyst at the Charles Group,
Kalie works on transnational organized crime issues, with a focus on counter-narcotics policy.
Originally from Redmond, Washington, Kalie currently resides in Washington, D.C.