For Immediate Release
March 28, 2023
Close Up Announces Executive Leadership Promotions of Mia Charity and Stephanie Stargell
Arlington, VA—The Close Up Foundation is pleased to announce that it has named Mia Charity as its new president and Stephanie Stargell as chief financial and operating officer, effective March 23, 2023.
Charity, a respected leader at the Foundation who previously served as chief external affairs officer, assumes the title of president from Eric Adydan, who will continue to lead Close Up as chief executive officer.
“One of my first and most important goals as CEO has been to ensure that Close Up has the structures and foundations we need to extend the reach of our work to give young people the tools and confidence to engage with their communities and understand their role in government,” said Adydan. “In Mia and Stephanie, Close Up has two inspiring champions who lead with focus and experience, honor our mission, and demonstrate a clear vision of where the Foundation can and should go.”
Charity began her career at Close Up by working with schools and organizations across the country, eventually expanding that role to develop new partnerships and resources, guide government engagement efforts, and spearhead fundraising to ensure that Close Up’s mission reaches students of all backgrounds and communities. She becomes the fourth president in the Foundation’s 52-year history, following in the footsteps of Adydan, former CEO and president Tim Davis, and Close Up founder Steve Janger.
Stargell, another veteran with broad experience across the Foundation, joined Close Up as director of human resources in 2007. She became controller in 2012 and CFO in 2013; she has also guided the Foundation’s operations, account engagement, and customer service efforts since 2022.
Adydan, Charity, Stargell, and Chief Innovation and Programs Officer Lindsay Greenberg solidify Close Up’s executive leadership team, guiding the Foundation in its mission to empower the next generation of active citizens through experiential civic education programming, professional development for educators, and curriculum and classroom resource design and consulting.
About the Close Up Foundation
Founded in 1971, Close Up is a nonprofit, nonpartisan, civic education organization with the mission of informing, inspiring, and empowering students to become active citizens. For over 50 years, we have partnered with schools nationwide to serve more than one million students and educators through experiential programs in our nation’s capital and in local communities, virtual programs, professional development, and curriculum and resource design. We believe a strong democracy requires active, informed participation by all citizens. Therefore, we seek to serve young people from all communities and backgrounds, regardless of race, religion, gender, socioeconomic level, or academic standing.
