After a long career in higher education in other parts of the world, Charles has returned to
Canada and redirected his energies toward supporting various community initiatives in Victoria.
After earning his doctorate at the University of Hawaii conducting research into sugarcane
diseases, he served as a biology professor at the University of Guam, Nanyang University in
Singapore, and (for the past 50 years, as professor and administrator) the State University of
New York campus at Farmingdale, New York (on Long Island). Since coming to Victoria, Charles
has participated in invasive plant removal as a volunteer with the Green Teams and other similar
organizations. When not attacking invasive plants, he volunteers in the archives section of the
Royal British Columbia Museum assisting with a program that is dedicated to repatriating First
Nation artifacts and related materials. He admits having a compulsion to make himself useful,
and welcomes the opportunity to contribute to the Green Teams of Canada as a member of the
Board.
