Charles was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Kansas. He spent his career in corporate public relations in New York and London, first with the p.r. firm of Burson-Marsteller and subsequently for 30 years representing banks including Bankers Trust, JP Morgan Chase (and predecessor Chemical Bank), as well as Bank of America (and predecessor Fleet Bank). His final ten years were with Marsh & McLennan subsidiary Mercer in charge of global corporate communications.
Charles graduated from Northwestern University and received an M.B.A. in finance from Columbia University Graduate School of Business.
He was president of the DMA in 2022-2023.
He married a Darien girl, Robin Wakeman, and they have three married sons in Chicago, Pittsburgh, and outside Boston, and eight grandchildren.
