Charlie began his career with Youth Development Institute in 2001 as a Youth Care Worker on the General Mental Health boy’s unit, later becoming the Unit Coordinator for that program. Charlie continued his formal education, earning a Master of Science in Psychology in 2010 from the University of Phoenix while serving in several capacities at YDI. In 2004, he was a caseworker for the outpatient boys’ program, assisting youth in developing skills applicable to real-life situations. In 2008, Charlie began working in YDI’s onsite school to teach these same real-world skills to youth in residential. In 2011, Charlie was asked to assist in the development of YDI’s Student Advisory Board as YDI implemented one of the Building Bridges Initiative’s core principles of youth-guided care. Charlie was a major contributor in developing YDI’s Student Advisory Board into a national model and served as the Student Advisory Board liaison and Director of Milieu Development during his tenure at YDI. Charlie is the proud father of two girls.
