Charles Sowell is the Chief Executive Officer at SE&M Solutions in Harrisburg, Pennsylvania. SE&M, founded in 2021, provides information technology and professional services to federal and commercial clients.

Prior to his current role, Charlie served as Director of the $719M Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Refugee Resettlement (ORR) “Delphi” Emergency Intake Site in Donna, TX. The site and its 2,400 staff members supported more than 1,650 unaccompanied migrant children from March to July 2021.

Charlie has 21 years in industry from the intelligence analyst to Chief Operating Officer level in small, medium and large businesses. He served in the federal government as the Deputy Assistant Director for Special Security and Program Executive for Security Clearance Reform at the Office of the Director of National Intelligence (ODNI). He established and led the DNI’s Security Executive Agent national policy and oversight office responsible for the $5B+ USG security clearance enterprise. He also served as Senior Advisor to the DNI for Personnel Security issues. He was appointed as a Senior National Intelligence Service (SNIS) officer in 2008.

Charlie retired from the Navy as a Commander in 2015 following 27 years of active duty and reserve assignments as a Commanding Officer, Executive Officer, Operations Officer, Intelligence Officer, NCIS Agent and Intelligence Specialist (enlisted). He received his Bachelor of Arts in International Studies with Honors from Old Dominion University and his Master of Science in Strategic Intelligence from the Joint Military Intelligence College (now National Intelligence University). He completed the University of Michigan, Ross School of Business Executive Program “Leading the IC” in 2012.

Charlie has been a guest commentator on Fox Business News, MSNBC’s Ali Velshi show, WTOP Federal News Radio, the Washington Post, New York Times, Defense News and other publications, providing background on national security issues.