Today we’d like to introduce you to Charlie Bowen.
Hi Charlie, we’re thrilled to have a chance to learn your story today. So, before we get into specifics, maybe you can briefly walk us through how you got to where you are today?
I’m the Communications Director for Save Oceanside Sand (SOS). We’re a community nonprofit organization that advocates for the sustainable restoration of Oceanside’s beaches. In my last corporate job I was an internal business consultant between IT, Operations & Accounting. To lighten the stress load, I ended up running a produce department for a supermarket. I have a bachelors degree in accounting. At the supermarket, my boss Mike told me that if I wanted a union, I needed to get involved, so I did. After I retired, he’s the same guy that told me that if I wanted a beach, I should go to the City of Oceanside’s RE:BEACH International Design Competition community workshop. While there, Mike introduced me to the CEO of Save Oceanside Sand – Bob Ashton. “Hey Bob, this is Charlie. Charlie, this is Bob. I think you two can help each other out.” Then my former boss said he was going surfing and walked out of the workshop. Bob and I hit it off, so I started volunteering with SOS. We’ve been on a mission to get the City of Oceanside, the region, the state, and the federal government to restore the beaches of Oceanside. Volunteering has turned into a part time job. In reality, it’s a labor of love.
Would you say it’s been a smooth road, and if not what are some of the biggest challenges you’ve faced along the way?
We’ve been a small, nimble, work-smart organization that until recently has been focused on the advocacy needed to make sustainable beach restoration a reality in Oceanside. We’ve been at it for 7 years. I’ve been a part of it for the last 4 years. Determining the right people to advocate with can be challenging – you have to keep knocking on doors and asking questions. We believe that if we show up, then the conversation is possible. If you can have the conversation, then a lot of times differences dissolve or solutions become possible. The city doesn’t always agree with us, but they respect us because we do our homework and keep it civil. When services to SOS are volunteered or a side gig for someone, you don’t always have the bandwidth or response time to do everything you’d like to do, so you have to deal with that as best you can. Coastal adaptation and resiliency solutions are not easily understood and beach restoration projects are long-term endeavors that require perseverance and determination. People get discouraged, decide nothing will ever happen, and lose interest – we stay the course. This past year, we developed a 3 year strategic plan to build the community support that it will take to get projects like the City of Oceanside’s RE:BEACH Pilot Project permitted and funded. We continue to learn a lot on that path. Recently we learned that none of us really understand marketing, so we got some help. If you want a beach, it takes political will and funding. That requires a loud community voice.
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
Corporate life taught me to pay attention to detail. To solve a problem, you have to understand what the problem actually is and where it lies – is it systems, operations (people or process), accounting, etc. I learned how to train people and speak in front of them, as well as communicate at all levels. The supermarket taught me how to interact with all walks of life. Believe me, every personality type walks into the supermarket. A lifetime of surfing is the reason I do what I do now. Oceanside is a beach break, and good waves require good sand bars, and good sand bars require sand. The advocacy light came on the first time I spoke in front of the Coastal Commission. Early on, Bob suggested it was time to go deliver a talking point or two to the Coastal Commission. I told him I’d do it, so we went together. We delivered two talking points, listened to a few more speakers, and walked out. We were followed outside by the Executive Director of the Coastal Commission. She wanted to know why we felt that they would never approve a beach restoration project that included a retention mechanism or structure, so we had the conversation. Making the effort, doing the outreach, and building relationships makes all the difference. As an organization, I think that we’re especially proud of our advocacy with the US Army Corps of Engineers. When the solution being developed was unacceptable to us, we took action and funded a Moffatt & Nichol report that synthesized over 70 years of previous Army Corps and other studies and reports. That was not cheap but it provided a key piece of leverage in discussions with the Army Corps, the City, their Federal lobbyists, Congressman Levin, and SOS that led to a much better Tentatively Selected Plan – a whole beach solution for the entire Oceanside shoreline. Also of note, we were awarded a “Heroes of Oceanside Award” in 2025 by the Oceanside Chamber of Commerce, and for 6 years running, our Community Science volunteers have measured the beach for a publicly available Scripps Institute of Oceanography database.
How can people work with you, collaborate with you or support you?
Through Save Oceanside Sand. We are a 501(c)(3) public benefit corporation. Our website is sosoceanside.com and our Instagram is @sosoceanside. People can sign up to volunteer through our website. We are supported through individual and philanthropic donations via our website. Inquiries can be directed to hello@sosoceanside.com
Contact Info:
- Website: https://sosoceanside.com
- Instagram: @sosoceanside
