About

Charles (Chuck) Nabit was born in Richmond, Virginia, in the summer of 1955. His early education began in public school until six grade, when a perceptive teacher convinced his parents that he would be better off with private school education. From seventh grade on, he attended a private college preparatory school. The Collegiate Schools were steeped in Southern Baptist tradition, and as such, was not a particularly good fit for him. Nevertheless, it provided him with a quality education that allowed him to get into a quality institution of higher learning, where he began to find his stride and excelled.

At first blush, Mr. Nabit would be inclined to say that his childhood upbringing was fairly conventional and normal. However, after many months of intensive therapy and introspection, he realized that it was anything but conventional or normal. He was raised as an only child in a household that was devoid of love and affection. By the time he was old enough to know any better, his parents were estranged and distant from one another and never gave him an example of what expressions of love looked like. His mother was undoubtedly committed to his wellbeing, but she was aloof. His father primarily focused on his business interests, which occupied his time and attention. Moreover, as an only child, Mr. Nabit did not have the benefit of a sibling to share the tension and turmoil that occupied his household. Growing up in a private school environment, he was subjected to considerable bullying. He just did not fit in with the kids who attended that school; he didn’t excel at sports or otherwise fit the mold. His friends were a band of outcasts, half of whom were expelled before graduation.

Charles Nabit remembers very vividly one particular circumstance that has colored his outlook for the remainder of his life. He was working a summer construction job when he was about 14 years of age. The foreman on the job did not like him and intended to make his life miserable. This motivated Mr. Nabit to work to his utmost ability to impress upon the foreman that he was a valuable employee. However, the foreman fired him shortly thereafter. Mr. Nabit made a vow to himself at that time that, as soon as possible, he would put himself into a position where he would never have to be beholden to anybody, boss or otherwise, ever again for the remainder of his life. His therapist loves this story.

Sure enough, within three years of graduating from law school, Charles Nabit began working for himself, and it has been that way for the last four decades. This independence and autonomy afforded him the freedom to charge his own course, but in retrospect, it also fostered a sense of invincibility and disconnection from others. Therein lies the seeds of his downfall.

He graduated from the University of the South in 1977, summa cum laude, with a degree in English. His father had instilled in him from an early age that a law degree was useful training, whether or not he ever practiced law. As such, Mr. Nabit pursued a law degree and gained admission to the College of William and Mary School of Law, where he graduated with honors.

A job offer from a prestigious law firm landed him in Baltimore, Maryland, in the summer of 1980. After three years of practicing law, he struck out on his own to pursue new opportunities.

His principal business pursuits were in the field of healthcare. He began by developing nursing homes in Maryland and Virginia. From there, in 1985, he had the opportunity to acquire a drug and alcohol treatment facility, and with clinician partners, spent the next few years growing and expanding that business. At the same time, he and his partners had begun pursuing the healthcare business of providing services and supports to developmentally disabled adults, and they grew that business at a substantial rate. In 1990, Mr. Nabit orchestrated a divorce from his partners where they took the drug and alcohol business, and he took the developmental disability business, called DDMS. It became his principal healthcare vocation for the next 30 years.

Along the way, he began investing in real estate assets, and that business additionally became a significant success. He also invested in several private equities and venture capital situations.

Mr. Nabit has always lived his life by what he calls the Rule of Thirds. This rule alludes to dividing up one’s time in life, with one-third devoted to business, one-third devoted to pleasure, and one-third devoted to charity. Once he became a husband and father, he somewhat altered these percentages but remained essentially true to their purpose. He has always made a meaningful commitment of his time, treasures, and talents to various charitable causes in his community. He has served on the boards of the local art museum, the local children’s hospital, the local theater organization, and more than a dozen other worthwhile charities. Through his family foundation, established two decades ago, he benefited countless charitable causes in the fields of healthcare, arts and culture, education, and environmental stewardship.

Please understand, if all of this sounds as though written from a purely selfish, self–interested and entitled perspective, nothing could be further from the truth. Mr. Nabit’s arrest and plea agreement stripped him of all the trappings of that prior life. His board positions and stature in the community disappeared in an instant.

Out of this tragic fall, which he admits is entirely of his own doing and for which he takes complete responsibility, he feels a great sense of optimism for what the second half of his life will entail. His prior identity has been shed, and he has the opportunity to forge a new, truer identity and sense of self. Charles Nabit looks forward to this new life that unfolds before him. It will be spent in devotion to his family and meaningful service for the betterment of others.