Charles L. Stuppard, Ph.D.
Dean of Administration

Dr. Stuppard is the Dean of Administration at the Joint Forces Staff College (JFSC), one of five colleges within National Defense University. He is responsible for budgeting, facilities management, logistics, operations, personnel, resource management, and security in support of JFSC’s Joint Advanced Warfighting School, Joint and Combined Warfighting School, and Joint Information School.

Prior to that position, he was CEO of CLS Consulting & Leadership Services. He spent 30 years in the U.S. Navy and served on six warships mostly in combat systems. He had five commands at sea, ashore and overseas, including Commanding Officer of USS ARLEIGH BURKE (DDG-51); Commander Joint Expeditionary Base Little Creek-Fort Story - home of the Navy SEALS; Surface Strike Group 06-1 in the Mediterranean Sea; Commander Task Group 56.6 caring for 10,000 sailors in Kuwait, Iraq, and Afghanistan during the Global War on terrorism; Commander Naval Forces Division, Saudi Arabia as naval advisor to the Saudi Chief of the Navy and his two fleet commanders.

He taught leadership to prospective Navy commanding officers and executive officers at Command Leadership School. He served as a Politico-Military Affairs officer on European and NATO plans and policy in the Joint Chiefs of Staff J-5 with a portfolio that included NATO Command Structure during the transition and dual-hatting of ADM Giambastiani, NATO Force Structure and High Readiness Forces Headquarters study, and NATO Train and Equip Program; he was working in the Pentagon on 9/11. He also served as Executive Assistant to Commander, Navy Installation Command (CNIC) supporting the 12 Navy Region Admirals leading all 76 U.S. Navy Installations in four continents. Prior to military retirement, he taught strategic leadership to senior U.S. & international officers and Government senior civilians at the master’s degree level at the Naval War College. He then worked as a Corporate Executive, including as VP of AECOM for defense infrastructure projects in the Middle East; COO of Bluestone Group in Wash DC; GM of Canopy Defense R&D company in Boston, MA. He is a member of several boards and served as District Director for the US Congress, VA-02. He is Co-President of Cornell class of 1982. He speaks five languages.

A native of St Marc, Haiti, Dr. Stuppard moved to the United States at age 19. He immediately attended Rockland Community College before transferring to Cornell University where he earned a B.S. in Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering. He then worked at Fairchild Republic Company designing Jets for the US Air Force prior to starting his Navy career as a student naval aviator. He holds a M.A. in National Security and Strategic Studies from the US Naval War College and a Ph.D. from Salve Regina University. He is also a graduate of University of Virginia’s Sorensen Institute for Political Leadership, Hampton Roads LEAD 757, and CIVIC Leadership Institute.

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