Retired fire chief for the Charlottesville, Virginia Fire Dept. and 44-year veteran of public safety. Most recently served as senior advisor and acting deputy state coordinator for the Virginia Dept. of Emergency Management. Charles has served on numerous leadership roles at the local, state and national levels in the areas of public safety comms, technology, interoperability, information sharing and unmanned aircraft systems. Currently serving as Chair, Natl Council on Public Safety UAS, Chair, IAFC Tech Council, Natl Alliance for Public Safety GIS, Public Safety Rail Advisory Committee, Charles is also a contributing editor to Firehouse Magazine, with over 120 nationally published articles.
