Human Rights & Freedom
Charles R. Black is Chairman of Prime Policy Group, and was the founder of the firm’s predecessor, BKSH & Associates Worldwide. Charlie is widely recognized as one of the nation’s leading public affairs professionals. Serving as a principal legislative and public affairs advisor to several Fortune 500 companies and trade associations, he also leads Prime Policy Group client teams in several public policy disciplines.
Charlie is best known as one of America’s leading Republican political strategists. He served as senior advisor to both President Ronald Reagan and President George H.W. Bush. In 1990, Charlie served as chief spokesman for the Republican National Committee and served as a principal public spokesman for President Bush in the 1992 presidential campaign. He served on President George W. Bush’s 2000 and 2004 campaigns as a volunteer political advisor and surrogate spokesman. During the 2008 election cycle, Charlie served as the senior political advisor to Senator John McCain’s presidential campaign.
An attorney with more than 40 years of experience in government, public affairs and politics, Charlie has managed the successful elections of several U.S. Senators and Members of Congress. He served as political director of the Republican National Committee under Chairman Bill Brock.
Currently, Charlie serves on the boards of directors of the U.S. Air Force Academy Foundation and the Fund for American Studies; he received the Fund’s Lifetime Service Awards in 2007. He was inducted into the Hall of Fame of the American Association of Political Consultants in 2010. In 2013, Charlie received the Bryce Harlow Foundation Business-Government Relations Award, the most prestigious honor given to government relations professionals.
A native of North Carolina, Charlie is a member of the North Carolina Bar. He holds a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from the University of Florida and a Juris Doctorate from The American University. Charlie resides in Alexandria, Virginia with his wife, Judy.
For more information on the McCain Institute, visit our Democracy Programs, Leadership Programs, and Human Rights & Freedom Programs.
