As president of CGS Consulting Associates in Alexandria, VA, Charles Schara draws on more than 35 years in accounting and organizational management with GEICO Corp. He initially joined GEICO in 1976 as the first Certified Public Accountant (CPA) hired by the company to research Financial Accounting Standards Board (FASB) regulations for reporting compliance purposes. Promoted to treasurer systems accountant the following year, Charles Schara of VA went on to become Prresident of GEICO Life Insurance Companies in 1983.
In December 1984, Charles Schara accepted the title of assistant vice president in charge of internal audit. He thus became the youngest Planning Center manager in company history, and he continued to serve in this position for more than 29 years.
Mr. Schara also took on a number of other leadership positions while in service to GEICO. A 21-year chairman of the Board for Benefits Plans, he also chaired the company's Corporate Payment Task Force from 2001 until he left the company in 2014. He now draws on this diverse experience base to provide board and management support to a variety of client companies, who turn to his expertise in finance, accounting, systems, cyber security and general leadership as well as corporate restructuring.