John F. Charles
Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration
U.S. Department of Commerce
John Charles joined the Department of Commerce as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Administration on May 4, 2009. Currently, Mr. Charles also carries out the responsibilities of the Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Secretary for Administration (CFO/ASA) pending the appointment and confirmation of a nominee to fill that position. He is responsible for overseeing the Commerce Department’s budget of $17.1 billion, which includes $7.9 billion in stimulus funding provided under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. He also exercises Department-wide responsibility for a wide range of other administrative functions, including financial management, strategic planning, human resources, procurement, security, civil rights, small business utilization, financial assistance and personal and real property management.
Mr. Charles’ career in the public sector includes extensive experience in state and local government. From 1997 to 2005, he served then-Governor Gary Locke as the Director of the Department of Retirement Systems for the State of Washington, which managed $45 billion in trust funds for its 550,000 members. During that period, he was also a member of the Washington State Investment Board and, from 2001 through 2003, functioned as its Chairman. As such, he oversaw a $60 billion investment portfolio of pension, state insurance, state emergency funds and various state trust funds. He was previously the manager of the Records and Elections Division in King County, Washington and executive director of the Seattle/Opportunities Industrialization Center, Inc.
In addition to his public service, he has advised nonprofit organizations and local government agencies as a consultant in the areas of public affairs, public-private partnership development, human resources management, and capital development. Throughout his professional endeavors, Mr. Charles has established an impressive record of increasing productivity and service levels, building and promoting innovative partnerships, and enhancing organizational operations.
He graduated from the University of Washington with a B.A. in Psychology and from the University of Utah with an M.S. in Human Resources Management.