Link to AWE News Youtube Channel Playlist
Since 2016, Charles has produced a TV regarding Louisiana Culture, History, and Tourism titled: “Celebrating Culture” which appears on WLAE-TV. and WGNO-TV. He has received three Suncoast Regional Emmy Nominations.
In 2019, he published a self-guided tour APP for New Orleans and Louisiana: titled: “New Orleans Insider Tours.”
Charles was born in New Orleans with his family moving to Clearview and West Esplanade in 1967. He became an Eagle Scout at St. Francis Xavier and was an Explorer Scout at East Jefferson Medical Center. He has worked at Baskin Robbins on Veterans, as a student Med-Tech at Lakeside Hospital for Women, and as a Financial Advisor on Veterans.
He was Student Council President of Jesuit High School New Orleans in 1978, section leader of the drum line, the Marine JROTC Band, and involved in several other extracurricular activities.
After earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from Tulane he worked in Long Beach, California as an offshore drilling engineer with Gearhart Industries. He transferred to Lista International in 1983 and was Northwest Regional Sales Manager till 2004.
In 2000, he completed the Stanford University Executive Program for Growing Companies. He was a partner is several Copeland Restaurant Franchises, and owned the Dunn & Bradstreet Receivable Management Services Franchises in six Western States. From 2004-2010, he built and owned an e-commerce company called Tool Boxes and More.
In 2010 he went to work as a Financial Advisor at Morgan Stanley. He passed the Series 7 and 66 tests, and later added the Real Estate Lending License and Insurance Licenses. He has written books on finance and areas of focus for mayors.
He owns an office building in Menlo Park California near Stanford University and Facebook Headquarters.
Charles Marsala was on the City Council of Atherton from 2002-2010. He was Vice-Mayor in 2005 and Mayor in 2006. In 2009, he received one of three Leadership in Action Awards from the League of California Cities. During his time in the League of Cities he moderated panels on City Finance and spoke on the importance of City Council members knowing the difference between a fee and a tax.
He spent two years on a Statewide Human Resource Committee to address Unfunded Pension Liabilities, and served in on the Governor’s bi-partisan leadership team. Marsala started in 1999 on the Atherton Art Committee as an amateur wildlife and underwater photographer. He was appointed to the town’s Park & Recreation Commission and Chaired a Finance and Taxation Committee in 2000. In 2006, he signed the Mayor’s Climate Protection Agreement and implemented non legislation ideas to conserve the environment.
In 2019, he was elected President of the American-Italian Federation of the Southeast. In 2016 as a Senate Candidate, he sought to bring attention to several issues he believes the US Congress needs to address.
Since 2017, he has lived in the West End Marina. In 2022, he became active in restoring West End Lakeshore Park as a park for bike path recreation and to preserve wildlife habitat.
He built a website to inform residents on the situation in West End Lakeshore Park. www.RetifPark.org
In 2019, the incumbent for District #94 passed Act 152 to develop West End Lakeshore Park into economic development. Charles believes this will add to crime in District #94 as his car was stolen in the Fall of 2002, his neighbor’s boat stolen Easter Sunday, and the recent shootings with high powered rifles on Veterans & Fleur de Leis attest. He wants to have West End Lakeshore Park remain as the orginal ACTs 92 and 209 of 1906 and 1910 called for: “A Public Park or Amusement Park.”
In 2022, he worked with local media to have the 500,000 gallon per day water leak since Katrina at West End capped, motivated Jefferson Parish to trim the Heritage Oak Trees, and the MYHMC to remove Katrina debris sitting in the park.