Charles Newnam is Vice President and General Manager, Leadership and Learning Strategy at Perceptyx, where he leads the company's efforts to help clients develop leaders, grow people, change behaviors at scale, and improve work experiences. Charles is an organizational development expert, coach, and strategist known for driving transformational impact on a global scale.
Charles brings extensive consulting experience from over 12 years at Accenture, where he most recently served as Strategy Principal Director for Talent & Organization in the Leadership & Culture practice. During his tenure, he pitched, sold, and delivered multimillion-dollar business transformation projects to Fortune 100 clients, strategizing with C-suite executives on large-scale change initiatives spanning cultural transformation, team effectiveness, leadership alignment, and inclusivity.
Prior to his consulting career, Charles served nine years in the United States Navy as a Submarine Warfare Officer. His naval service consisted of multiple deployments, leading classified missions, and thousands of hours operating nuclear reactors. He finished his service as an Assistant Professor at the University of North Carolina in the Department of Naval Science, teaching Naval Engineering and Naval Weaponry. Charles was repeatedly recognized for his leadership, tactical warfighting skills, and nuclear engineering knowledge, consistently evaluated in the top 10% of the entire submarine fleet.
Charles co-founded VEL Institute and serves as President of Wisdom 4 Humanity (W4H), both 501(c)(3) organizations. VEL focuses on developing Veterans, Entrepreneurs, and Leaders through collaborative learning and community service. W4H supports senior executives and business leaders through reflective experiences that blend personal development, spirituality, and business growth.
Charles holds an MA in Organizational Psychology from Teachers College, Columbia University, an MBA from Kenan-Flagler Business School at the University of North Carolina, an MS equivalent in Nuclear Engineering from Naval Nuclear Power Training Command, and a BS in Electrical Engineering from Tennessee Technological University. He lives with his wife, Tonya, and three children in the Greater Chattanooga area and enjoys exploring his physical, mental, and spiritual limits through trail ultra-marathons and multi-stage road cycling.
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