John A. Charles, Jr.
President

John A. Charles, Jr., joined Cascade Policy Institute in January, 1997 as environmental policy director. He focuses on environmental, transportation and land-use policy. In 2004, he was named acting president to help Cascade through its transition to a larger institute. Prior to joining Cascade, John was executive director of the Oregon Environmental Council for 17 years. He served on dozens of local, state and federal commissions and advisory boards related to environmental protection. John was also an active participant in Oregon legislative proceedings, and helped author numerous environmental statutes in the areas of forest management, toxic substances, air pollution, watershed restoration and transportation. John is nationally renowned as an expert on urban land-use and transportation issues. He has authored a chapter on the Portland experience with growth management in the book A Citizen's Guide to Smart Growth, published jointly by the Heritage Foundation and Political Economy Research Center.
John received a Bachelor of Arts from the University of Pittsburgh in 1976 and a Master of Public Administration from Portland State University in 1990.