After a lengthy career in municipal government and the private sector, Charles Brown has retired from the Business Development team at WithersRavenel.
Prior to joining WithersRavenel as a client officer, Charles was the town manager for Mount Olive, working with the Wayne County community for 16 years. He was responsible for day-to-day operations of the Town while supervising 65 full-time employees. He directed more than $18 million in water, wastewater, and other projects during his tenure.
His experience in municipalities and with infrastructure projects made him a valuable asset to our public sector clients during his three years at WithersRavenel. Charles primarily worked with municipalities across Eastern North Carolina.
“I had a common background with these town managers and officials, working with administrators, planners and engineers,” Charles said. “I enjoyed getting to work with these folks and helping them. That is how I viewed my responsibility at WithersRavenel.”
Charles found the job to be especially rewarding when he could assist local governments with acquiring funding for critical projects by helping them make connections and working with the WithersRavenel Funding and Finance team.
“They weren’t always familiar with where to go or the process to get money,” he said. Charles also enjoyed the common bonds he shared with many of the other WithersRavenel Business Development team members, many of whom had also retired from careers with municipalities or state agencies.
As for his retirement plans, Charles is undergoing treatment for parotid gland cancer. Thankfully, the prognosis is good. Surgery followed by experimental infusion and medication led to a recent scan where his cancer was not detectable.
And although his energy level is sometimes low, he still enjoys gardening and projects around the house. Sitting back and watching college basketball is often on his schedule, too. His wife, Joy, is an administrator at Wayne Country Day School and teaches in the pre-K program. They have a daughter, Natalie, who is pursuing a Master in Physician Assistant Studies and a Master of Public Health in California after graduating from UNC Chapel Hill.
Charles has a bachelor’s degree from North Carolina State University, with additional study at UNC Wilmington’s Academy of Strategic Management. His background also includes service in the U.S. Army. He served in Vietnam and earned a Bronze Star.
WithersRavenel and the many clients Charles worked with wish him well in his retirement!