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Charlie Copeland, MBA, Director, Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy

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Director, Center for Economic & Fiscal Policy

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Join date: Aug 16, 2025

About

Charlie Copeland is the former President and Chief Executive Officer of the Intercollegiate Studies Institute. He holds a BS and an MBA from Duke University.

 

Mr. Copeland is a prominent community leader in ISI's home state of Delaware. From 2002 through 2008, he served as a Delaware State Senator, rising to Senate Minority Leader's position. He emerged as a leading voice for government accountability, education reform, and criminal justice reform during his service.

 

Mr. Copeland serves as Board Chair of the Longwood Foundation, which has made more than $2 billion in grants to nonprofits since Pierre S. du Pont founded it in 1937. He also co-founded and serves as President of the Board of the Challenge Program, a nonprofit organization that trains at-risk youth in construction skills, and Vice President of the Board of the Mt. Cuba Center, which has protected more than 2,500 acres of open space in the Brandywine Valley.

Posts (49)

Mar 29, 2026 ∙ 2 min
For Delaware to Grow, We Need Federal and State Permitting Reforms
Delaware’s rising unemployment and shrinking workforce signal deeper issues that can’t be ignored. With tens of thousands missing from the labor force and a critical housing shortage, slow permitting processes are holding back growth. Learn how targeted federal and state reforms could unlock jobs, housing, and opportunity across the state.
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Feb 5, 2026 ∙ 3 min
Delaware’s 2025 Labor Market Signals Structural Strain
Delaware’s 2025 labor data reveals a troubling paradox: employment rose while unemployment increased. A growing labor force outpaced job creation, leaving more people competing for fewer private-sector jobs. Nearly all employment gains came from healthcare, while manufacturing and other market-driven sectors declined, raising concerns about economic diversity and Delaware’s ability to support an aging population.
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Dec 19, 2025 ∙ 3 min
Why Delaware’s Decoupling from Accelerated Depreciation Is a Strategic Mistake
Delaware’s decision to decouple from federal accelerated depreciation is being framed as budget protection, but in practice it functions as a quiet tax increase on investment. Accelerated depreciation is not a bonus or windfall—it simply allows businesses to recover costs sooner. By slowing deductions for capital equipment and R&D, Delaware raises the effective cost of investing, weakens competitiveness, and signals policy uncertainty at a time when capital can easily move elsewhere.
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