Charlie leads UNH Cooperative Extension’s Community & Economic Development department, whose mission is to cultivate civic leaders; foster participation in community decision-making; revitalize downtowns; and help communities leverage resources to grow the local and regional economy. In his capacity as Program Leader, he works with his Extension colleagues to provide civic leaders with training, educational resources, and technical assistance with economic development, business engagement, leadership, and tourism and recreation.

As an Extension Associate Professor in Community and Economic Development, he brings his applied experience to the classroom in UNH’s Masters in Development Policy & Practice program, where he teaches about land and resource use conflict. His current research is focused on rural innovation and tracking the long-term impacts of community development efforts.

Before joining UNH Extension, Charlie was an Economic Development Educator for the University of Illinois Extension. He also served as a Peace Corps Volunteer in rural Panama, where he taught conservation principles and sustainable agriculture techniques to school-age youth and subsistence farmers. Charlie has a B.A. in Geography from Dartmouth College, an M.A. in Regional Planning from Western Illinois University, and a Ph.D. in Natural Resources Policy from UNH.