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, now the
Speaker of the House, as chief staffer to The Speaker’s Task Force on a Drug
Free America from 1997-1999. 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.
A regular writer and commentator in print and broadcast media, Charles remains
close to many top decision makers in Washington, and currently pens 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 is also a Navy Reservist who 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 joined The Charles Group, LLC at its inception in 1999. In 1997 he served
as staff assistant on the Subcommittee on National Security, International
Affairs, and Criminal Justice in the U.S. House of Representatives where he
focused on defense and drug policy issues. Ben has helped TCG’s non-profit and
public sector clients secure millions of dollars in federal appropriations, and
led successful efforts to change federal laws and introduce new legislation. He
has also managed coalitions of diverse organizations to drive legislative and
funding improvements to key law enforcement and homeland security programs. He
serves The Charles Group’s corporate, non-profit, and public sector clients in
the areas of law enforcement, homeland security, defense, education, and
appropriations. Ben received his A.B. in Government (International Relations)
from Dartmouth College in New Hampshire, and he will earn a Master of Business
Administration degree from the University of Maryland in 2008. He was born and
raised in Davenport, Iowa and lives in Maryland with his wife and son.
Marina Charles brings a depth of legal and administrative experience to the The
Charles Group, LLC team. Having spent twelve years as a corporate transactional
attorney, Marina has extensive experience in contracts and regulatory analysis
as well as international business matters. Marina manages the company's
operations and participates in the development of government and regulatory
white papers and other company projects.
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 Bobby and their two
children.
Jason joined the company in 2003 after serving as Deputy Director of the
Strategic Taskforce to Organize and Mobilize People (STOMP), an innovative
get-out-the-vote effort organized by the National Republican Congressional
Committee during the 2002 election cycle. He was responsible for STOMP
operations in California, Pennsylvania, Maryland, Connecticut, West Virginia,
and Nevada.
From 2001-2002, Jason worked for the National Propane Gas Association in the
Legislative Affairs Department where he worked closely with Capitol Hill on
issues affecting the association’s membership. He worked as a Staff Assistant
for the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs in 2000 under Chairman Fred
Thompson.
Jason's areas of focus at The Charles Group, LLC include appropriations
projects, homeland security, drug policy, transportation, and defense. Jason
received his B.A. from the University of New Hampshire in 1998. He was raised
in Saugus, Massachusetts and currently lives in Virginia.
Jessica joined the Charles Group, LLC in 2006. From 2004-2005 she served as
Robert Charles’s Executive Assistant while he was the Assistant Secretary of
State for International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs (INL). In 2005
she went on to be the Special Assistant for Ambassador John R. Miller in the
State Department’s Global Office to Monitor and Combat Trafficking in Persons.
From 1998-2003 Jessica served in the United States Army as an Administrative
Specialist. From 2001-2003 she was assigned to the 308th Military Intelligence
Battalion in Fort Meade, Maryland. There, she was the manager of the Personnel
Office and was also the Executive Assistant to the Battalion Commander. From
1999-2001 Jessica was stationed in Wackernheim, Germany where she was part of ¼
Air Defense Artillery Battalion.
Jessica is The Charles Group’s Office Director and will assist in government
affairs issues. She was raised in Barrington, RI and currently resides in
Hyattsville, MD with her three year old son Shawn.
Connor recently graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin at
River Falls with a B.S. in History and a minor in Criminal Justice. 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. During
the summer of 2007, Connor interned with The Charles Group, LLC and graduated
from the Engalitcheff Institute on Comparative Political and Economic Systems
at Georgetown University. He is a member of the academic honors fraternity Phi
Kappa Phi and is currently a policy analyst at The Charles Group, LLC focusing
on transnational crime and narcotics trafficking, counter-terrorism and related
international security issues. Connor is originally from Wisconsin and
currently lives in Arlington, Virginia.