Charles is currently acting as Lead Director for the Kirchner Fellowship Central America Program. He was fortunate to be introduced to the world of impact investing as a member of the fifth cohort of Kirchner Fellows himself while completing his coursework at Cornell University. In December of 2019 Charles earned his master’s degree in Global Development with a concentration in International Agriculture and Rural Development, where he explored how the intersection of private, public, and philanthropic efforts can lead to more effective and sustainable development approaches, particularly within agriculture.
Charles is also proud to have served as a Sustainable Agriculture Systems Volunteer in the United States Peace Corps, completing his service in the Comarca Emberá-Wounaan within the Darien Province of Panamá. His primary task was to sustainably augment coffee and cacao production among Emberá cultivators, with secondary public health projects concentrating in HIV education. Having been deeply impacted by his experience with the Emberá, Charles is dedicated to exploring paths to addressing the intractable economic, environmental, and socio-cultural problems facing similar isolated indigenous populations throughout the Americas.