Charles E Summers Jr

Charles E. Summers, Jr. of Scarborough was elected by the 125th Legislature to serve as Maine's 48th Secretary of State. He was sworn into office on January 6, 2011. He has served in various elected and appointed positions in state and federal government, most recently as the New England Regional Administrator (Region I) for the U.S. Small Business Administration (SBA). In this capacity, he was responsible for SBA District Offices in Connecticut, Maine, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Rhode Island and Vermont with oversight of the SBA's financing, marketing and outreach efforts in the six-state region. Prior to assuming his position with the SBA, he served as State Director to United States Senator Olympia J. Snowe (1995 to 2004). In this capacity, he served as both an advisor and a strong advocate for Mainers who needed assistance navigating federal agencies. In 1990, he became the first-ever Republican elected to Maine State Senate District 31 (Scarborough, Saco, Old Orchard Beach, and Dayton) serving on the Joint Standing Committees on Legal Affairs and Inland Fisheries and Wildlife. Upon re-election in 1992 he served as the ranking member on the Joint Standing Committee on Taxation. Charlie is also a Commander in the United States Navy Reserve currently assigned to the Public Affairs staff of the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, General Martin Dempsey. From October 2009 to October 2010 he served on active duty on the staff of the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen. During this time period he completed a temporary assignment as a member of Combined Forces Special Operations Component Command–Afghanistan (CFSOCC-A). In March 2007, he was recalled to active duty and deployed to Iraq in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. He was also activated after the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks serving on the staff of former Secretary of the Navy Gordon England. A Public Affairs Officer, Charlie has served in the Navy Reserve since 1996. Charlie grew up in his family's hotel business and later managed motels in Bangor and South Portland, Maine, and has owned and run his own small businesses. Born in Danville, Illinois in 1959, he grew up in Kewanee, Illinois, and is a graduate of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. A resident of Maine since 1983, he lives in Scarborough with his wife, Ruth. He is the father of three children, Tricia, Chas, and Thomas.