Mr. Charles Perusse

On January 1, 2017, Governor Roy Cooper appointed Charlie to his second stint as State Budget Director. Charlie, a 28-year state employee, returns to the Governor’s Budget Office after serving six years as the Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the University of North Carolina (UNC) System. In his earlier work with the Budget Office, he served as State Budget Director for three years and Deputy Director for six years. Charlie also spent eight years in the General Assembly’s Fiscal Research Division, serving three years as budget coordinator for the House of Representatives. Charlie’s notable career accomplishments include: championing North Carolina’s Common Sense Government Initiative; developing substantial portion of state’s $2.0 billion Connect NC Bond Package that was approved by voters in 2016; balancing the state’s budget each year of the Great Recession; maintaining North Carolina’s AAA bond rating with all rating agencies; and transitioning the state to a market and competency-based compensation program for employees. Charlie was recently awarded the 2020 Harry Hatry Distinguished Performance Management Practice Award from the Center for Accountability and Performance. Charlie received a master’s degree in Public Administration from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from North Carolina State University.