Charles Carithers is a Principal at Cornerstone Government Affairs, advising clients on matters related to related to national security, defense, and homeland security. He joined Cornerstone in January 2020 from the House Committee on Homeland Security, where he served as professional staff advising Chairman Bennie Thompson (D-MS) on various national security and intelligence matters.
Before joining the Committee, Charles spent 11 years in the U.S. Intelligence Community (IC), having served in various leadership capacities, including the associate deputy director of public affairs for the Intelligence Advanced Research Projects Activity (IARPA) and a senior policy officer developing national level policies governing the IC within the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). Charles also served as a Brookings Institution legislative fellow with the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee in the Senate where he advised then Ranking Member Sen. Thomas Carper (D-DE) and Committee staff on matters related to foreign policy and national security.
Charles serves on the United Negro College Fund (UNCF) DC, Maryland and Northern Virginia Leadership Council, is a term member with the Council on Foreign Relations, a Senior Fellow with the National Security Institute at George Mason University’s Antonin Scalia Law School, and Chairman of the Council of Advisors for Black Professionals in International Affairs (BPIA). He is the recipient of the Joint Civilian Service Commendation Award and Medal and the Secretary of Defense Global War on Terrorism Award and Medal.
Charles also regularly speaks on the importance and necessity of diversity and inclusion in the national security arena to Historically Black Colleges and Universities and national security and education groups.
He is a 2005 graduate of Morehouse College, a 2007 graduate of Harvard University’s Kennedy School of Government, and an adjunct professor at Georgetown University where he teaches a graduate level course on congress and U.S. national security policy.
