Charles Carr

Charlie Carr is legislative liaison for the Disability Policy Consortium and principal of Charlie Carr Consulting, a firm that provides management consultation to public and private businesses to implement strategic planning, turnaround management, executive coaching, and advocacy. From 2007 to 2015, Mr. Carr was the commissioner of the Massachusetts Rehabilitation Commission, providing oversight of the Commission’s day-to-day operations and directing innovative, solutions-based programs in community living, vocational rehabilitation, and SSI/SSDI eligibility. Mr. Carr began his career in 1974 by setting in motion the independent living movement in Massachusetts and was involved in the formation of the Boston Center for Independent Living, the second independent living center in the country. Mr. Carr went on to found and serve as the chief executive officer of the Northeast Independent Living Program (NILP) in Lawrence, MA from 1980 to 2007. NILP was the first independent living center in the greater Merrimack Valley and recognized in 1995 by the World Institute on Disability as one of the top five centers in the country.

Throughout his career, Mr. Carr has been a pioneer advocating for community-based services for individuals with disabilities. He has served and continues to serve on numerous advisory committees and boards, including the Attorney General’s Disability Rights Advisory Committee and Centene, and previously the National Disability Advisory Group and the Department of Housing and Community Development/Executive Office of Health and Human Services Joint Committee on Housing for Persons with Disabilities. He is a board member of the Starkloff Disability Institute and past board member of the Massachusetts Autism Commission, the Massachusetts Job Creation Commission, the Massachusetts Workforce Investment Board, the Community First Transformation Grant, Elder Services of the Merrimack Valley, Inc., the Massachusetts Health and Disability Research Partnership, and the Real Choices Consumer Planning and Implementation Group. Mr. Carr was the chairperson of the Massachusetts Division of Medical Assistance Medical Care Advisory Committee.

Mr. Carr received a Bachelor of Science in journalism from the School of Public Communication at Boston University. He also holds a Certificate of Management from the Graduate School of Management at Lesley College.