Charles Freeman, Ph.D. | Chair of Fashion Merchandising and Director of Research and Creative Activities, College of Fine Arts, Texas Christian University (TCU)

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Dr. Charles Freeman is Chair of Fashion Merchandising and Director of Research and Creative Activities in the College of Fine Arts at Texas Christian University. His work focuses on advanced softgoods and textile systems, manufacturing workforce development, materials testing, wearable technologies, and the translation of university research into industry applications.

Freeman is leading TCU’s TACTIC initiative, a workforce development model designed to address critical skills gaps in advanced softgoods, textile manufacturing, aerospace, defense, and other high-performance manufacturing sectors. TACTIC emphasizes short-cycle, industry-informed training built around employer-defined competencies and closer alignment among universities, manufacturers, workforce organizations, and technology ecosystems.

He is also helping expand TCU’s research infrastructure in athlete equipment and advanced materials, while developing new academic and workforce pathways in softgoods engineering and textile systems. His broader work centers on strengthening domestic technical capacity, accelerating university-industry collaboration, and preparing the specialized workforce needed to support the next generation of American manufacturing.