Board of Directors

Charles Blain is the President of Urban Reform and Urban Reform Institute. Originally from New Jersey, Charles attended Fairleigh Dickinson University where he studied Political Science with a concentration on American Political Studies. He relocated to Texas in 2014 to work in public policy. While focusing on Houston and Harris County government, he noticed a void left in urban policy and launched Urban Reform in 2019. In 2020, Urban Reform partnered with the Center for Opportunity Urbanism to create the Urban Reform Institute. Through Urban Reform and Urban Reform institute, Charles has focused on free market solutions to urban issues and creating opportunity for all in America’s metropolitan areas. Charles has been published in the Wall Street Journal, Forbes, the Houston Chronicle, the Hill, Wired, and other publications. He is a Fox 26 Houston (KRIV) regular political commentator and weekly panelist on Sunday talk show, What’s Your Point. He is also a regular guest speaking about local issues on I Heart Radio’s Pursuit of Happiness and Houston’s Morning News w/ Jimmy Barrett & Shara Fryer. He lives in Houston and enjoys volunteering with the Prison Entrepreneurship Program where he serves on the Houston Advisory Board and he also serves on the board of the Beatrice Mayes Institute.

Charles Coats

Charles Coats oversees the home buying program at Bryan / College Station Habitat for Humanity, including recruitment of low-income hardworking families, down-payment assistance and other government funding sources, loan closing and compliance and mortgage servicing of Habitat for Humanity homes. He works with community and government officials to promote good housing policies that will benefit families in Brazos County for generations to come. He received his Master of Arts from the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M. In his spare time, he helps prepare Texas residents to become American citizens by teaching English language skills and American history/civics lessons.