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, eventually 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.
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
1-4 Air Defense Artillery Battalion.
Jessica is The Charles Group’s Office Director and assists in government
affairs issues. She was born and raised in Barrington, RI and currently resides
in Capitol Heights, MD with her husband Jahi and son Shawn.
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.
Maria Petrakis, a former Hill staffer and practicing attorney, joined the Charles Group in
January 2010 after earning her BA, cum laude in Political Science and Criminology at The Ohio State
University, and receiving her J.D. from Thomas M. Cooley Law School. At the Charles Group, Maria
focuses primarily on legislative affairs issues. Prior to joining the Charles Group, Maria worked
for the late Congressman Tom Lantos. Her duties included in-depth research and writing on human
rights and international relations issues. Maria worked through 2008 as a litigation associate in
the State of Ohio Attorney General's Office, specializing in labor law, mediation and negotiation.
Maria grew up working in a family business, giving her unique insights into the entrepreneurial world.
She now volunteers as legal counsel for a leading national Greek American youth organization, for
which she provides compliance advice. Maria is public spirited and fluent in Greek. Originally
from Cleveland, Ohio, she now resides in Washington, DC.
Bryan Kana joined the Charles Group in August 2009, following his graduation from Yale University with a B.A.
in Political Science and International Studies in May 2009. Balancing intensive academic engagement with sport,
Bryan came to The Charles Group with a depth in research and writing, having authored two theses, on
"Evaluating United Nations Peacekeeping Efforts in the Democratic Republic of Congo" and "Justifying the Use
of Torture in American Society: A Pragmatic Approach to Counter-Terrorism." In addition, while at Yale, he
earned three varsity letters and was a starting tackle for the Yale University varsity football team.
Focusing on his community, Bryan assisted athletics outreach programs for the local New Haven youth. Prior to
joining The Charles Group, Bryan spent time on domestic issues for the Republican National Committee. At
The Charles Group, Bryan has focused on national security issues, including international counter narcotics and
counter-terrorism research, writing and global trend analysis. Originally from New Hampshire, Kana now calls
Washington, DC home.
Aimee Moon joined the Charles Group in May 2009 after earning her B.A. from Dartmouth College, with a concentration
in Government and Civic Relations. At Dartmouth College, Aimee served with distinction in the College's Office of
Pluralism and Leadership focusing on Asian and Asian American student issues. Also a dedicated member of the
Dartmouth College Gospel Choir, she enjoyed a spot on the choir's Management Team. She is currently an active member
of the Executive Committee for the Dartmouth Class of 2009 and an office-holder with the Dartmouth Club of Washington,
DC. Aimee interned at The Charles Group in 2008, and prior to that with the law firm of Davis Polk & Wardwell in
New York and the House of Representatives Committee on Oversight and Government Reform in Washington D.C. Since she
joined the Charles Group, Aimee has focused on domestic and international policy research and analysis, including
community and national security issues. Originally from New York City, Aimee now resides in Washington, D.C.