Chuck Nathan Charleston (Diné) is the Director of the NACA Foundation, and co-founder of the Native American Community Academy (NACA). Charleston is a dedicated leader in education development, economic development, and global engagement. He has nearly two decades of experience in the areas of strategic planning in the development and expansion of international Indigenous language and education models, including resource acquisition, co-creating sustainable systems for organizational development and land-based education pedagogy. He has a TRIUM Global Executive MBA, jointly awarded by the London School of Economics and Political Science, New York University Stern School of Business, and HEC School of Management Paris. Chuck is also a Salzburg Global Fellow and previously served as a cultural delegate with the Turkish Cultural Foundation. As a recent U.S. Trade Representative (USTR) appointee to the Indigenous Peoples Economic and Trade Cooperation Arrangement (IPETCA), he shares his expertise in advancing economic empowerment, policy advocacy, and sustainability.

Chuck was raised in Phoenix and his hometown of Sweetwater, AZ. He is based in Albuquerque, NM where he collaborates with networks of cultural educators, mental health professionals, and land-based practitioners to foster resilience, identity, and belonging across diverse communities. Chuck has led numerous international cultural exchanges with youth and adult community leaders, facilitating immersive land-based and arts-based learning experiences in Peru, New Zealand, Australia, Western Europe and across Latin America. These programs foster cross-cultural connection, Indigenous solidarity, and community resilience—linking language, land, and leadership through experiential practice. His commitment to nature-based education and outdoor therapy is reflected in immersive initiatives rooted in language revitalization, environmental stewardship, and healing. Chuck creates time to support his extended community by serving as a board member in other organizations, including Semilla Action, Social and Emotional Learning Alliance for NM (SEL4NM) and the Association for Experiential Education (AEE).