Charles Brownstein has served as the Executive Director of the Comic Book Legal Defense Fund since 2002. During his tenure the organization has achieved numerous legal victories, been cited by the U.S. Supreme Court, and has become the leading source of education and advocacy for combating the rising tide of comics censorship in libraries and schools.

Brownstein is a prolific and sought out lecturer on the history of comics and censorship who has addressed audiences across the United States, as well as in Canada, Japan, Lebanon, Norway, and the United Kingdom. In addition to his work at CBLDF, he also writes extensively about comics; his publications include Eisner/Miller, The Oddly Compelling Art of Denis Kitchen, and Monsters & Titans: Battling Boy Art on Tour.

Brownstein currently serves as the chair of the Banned Books Week Coalition, as well as on the Board of Trustees of the Freedom to Read Foundation, the Board of Directors of the Media Coalition, and on the Steering Committee of the alternative comics festival SPX.