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Dr. Charles G. Tharp

Dr. Charles G. Tharp Senior Advisor, Research and Practice, Center On Executive Compensation | Executive VP, HR Policy Association


Charlie Tharp is Senior Advisor, Research and Practice of the Center On Executive Compensation. In that role, Tharp is responsible for setting overall policy positions and research initiatives undertaken by the Center and representing the Center in public forums. He is also Professor of the Practice in the Management and Organizations Department, Boston University Questrom School of Business. Tharp has over 25 years of corporate experience, including key human resource positions with General Electric, PepsiCo, Pillsbury, CIGNA and Bristol-Myers Squibb, where he served as Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Tharp also served as the interim Executive Vice President of Human Resources for Saks, Incorporated. Earlier in his career he served as an executive compensation consultant for the global consulting firm of Towers Perrin. Tharp holds a Ph.D. in Labor and Industrial Relations from Michigan State University, an LLM in Human Rights and Social Justice from the University of Connecticut School of Law, a J.D. from the Quinnipiac School of Law, a Masters in Economics from Wayne State University and a BA from Hope College where he was Phi Beta Kappa and a Baker Scholar. In 1998 Tharp was elected a Fellow of the National Academy of Human Resources and in 2010 was elected a Distinguished Fellow of the Academy, the highest honor in the HR profession. He previously served as President of the Academy.