Garnering buy-in, attracting long-term human capital, and anchoring creative resilient communities have been Lydia Charles's areas of expertise for more than twenty years. Her skill in crafting practical solutions to address systemic obstacles has been utilized by clients as varied as the National Trust for Historic Preservation Main Street Center, Washington DC Deputy Mayor's Office for Planning and Economic Development, the Smithsonian Institution, Cultural Tourism DC, and the City of Jackson, MS. In addition to teaching, Ms. Charles works with teams to think through, create, and foster programs and projects that consider culturally-focused adaptation in (re)development plans despite market, population, and environmental threats and difficulties. During her time at Georgetown, she has served as a Capstone Advisor for projects situated in historic districts. Lydia Charles holds a B.A. in History from UC Berkeley, a M.A. in History from UNC Chapel Hill, a Certificate from the Harvard Graduate School of Education Teaching for Change program, and was a Doctoral Scholar in the Cultural Studies Department at George Mason University.