Testimonials

I have known Drae Charles for 5+ years now and have nothing but positive things to say. I met Drae within my first couple years of playing rugby. It may sound small coming from a sport but Drae found me when I was broken. I was going through a really low point in my life and he inspired me to be a better person. Ever since then we have grown closer and closer and now he is someone that I will always go to for advice. He is no average man. He is someone who can hold his tongue when needed but also is also able to articulate his words in a respectful yet powerful way when he finds something unfair. I would recommend him to anyone. There is no doubt in my mind that Drae will be an excellent resource.

He has great communication skills, he is able to read people well, he is able to help people find their goals, give others understanding, and lastly he always fights for justice.

-Gabe

I’ve have the privilege of working alongside Mr. Charles here at our High School; where as Assistant Principal over facilities and supervision; Drae has become a great added resource and asset to the building.

As building supervisor, I have gotten to know Mr. Charles, I’ve been able to witness his sense and passion for equity, work that from my understanding he is familiar and comfortable in; serving on the Lane County Youth Services Equity Committee for over three years.

His passion in mentoring, advocating, and working with youth is evident. His connection with students, specifically those of color is strong and very much needed. He is able to help students grow and become better citizens of this community.

He is an asset on so many levels. His background and experiences are invaluable, and augment all of his interactions with staff and students. His creativity and good nature also make him a wonderful colleague and public figure.

For these reasons and many more I heartily recommend Daniel “Drae” Charles.

-Jesús

It is my pleasure to offer this recommendation for Drae Charles. I first met Drae through his work with the 4J School District. Drae is organized, focused, and grounded in purpose. Drae has a deep understanding of and personal commitment to creating safe, inclusive and productive spaces. He became a fixture for our students who knew they could count on him to show up, do the work, and offer insights with empathy. Drae understands the need for students– and adults in organizations– to develop healthy self-identity and build networks. Our affinity groups are vital for students of color who exist and must thrive in predominantly white spaces. As a result of his varied experiences, Drae has developed a positive rapport with students that is enhanced by his calm demeanor and his positive, can-do attitude. Earlier this year, we called on Drae to help us support a specific student– outside the parameters of his role! Our student, in part because of his identity as a biracial male in our school system struggled mightily to attend school. Drae met with us continually over the course of several months, connected us with community resources, and even mentored our student for a number of weeks. Drae never lost faith in our ability to help our student, even when the situation seemed without solution and offered clear and direct advice to support our work. Drae is flexible and adaptable and steady in his approach. Drae is willing to step in with any student or staff member to offer perspective and ideas without judgment and with conviction. He is a valued member of this team. 

-Courtney

Our "diversity committee" was in rough shape before Drae joined and brought much-needed leadership, experience, and knowledge to our organization. We are a small University-affiliated early childhood education center providing child care to young children ranging from infants to school age, and whose parents are largely college and graduate students. Previous efforts to incorporate "diversity initiatives" had been opportunistic, superficial, and short-lived; we essentially had no idea what we were doing! Drae's leadership within our diversity committee was like a breath of fresh air. From day one, Drae helped to gather the loose ends and fragments of ideas on diversity needs for our center and helped us organize those into a structured program centered on addressing issues of justice, equity, diversity, and inclusion (JEDI). The most critical part of Drae's involvement is the level of expertise and professionalism that he has brought to the way we work. If done haphazardly, "diversity initiatives," even with the best of intentions, can do more harm than good. With Drae's guidance, we now have the knowledge and leadership needed to successfully and genuinely integrate JEDI needs into our center, to better educate our children and support our diverse families. Finally, it has been an absolute pleasure to work with Drae, who brings so much kindness and compassion to our interactions and into his work. In addition to being an experienced and educated JEDI consultant, Drae is just a wonderful human being. We are truly lucky to have him on our team! 

-Dr. Cheng

I met Drae a couple of years ago during a time when we were both working for the same company. I instantly took a liking to him as I could tell he was a person who had a good moral compass, an easy demeanor and a great sense of humor. Although the company we worked for was going through hard times, it never deterred him from maintaining his high level of professionalism. He is a professional, in every sense of the word. He always arrived ahead of our scheduled workday and often worked beyond what was expected (or paid for). His honesty, integrity, professionalism and work ethic will serve him well in whatever he chooses to do.

-Andy