Charles “Cully” Stimson is a widely recognized policy expert in crime control, national security, immigration, homeland security, and drug policy at The Heritage Foundation. Stimson is Acting Director of the Legal Policy Center and Senior Legal Fellow of National Security. He has also served as the Chief of Staff at Heritage three times and ran the transition for three Heritage presidential changes of command.

Stimson writes, lectures, and testifies on a wide array of policy issues such as the law of armed conflict, terrorist detainee policy, military commissions, criminal law and the death penalty, immigration and the war on drugs.

He has written papers and authored books on criminal and immigration law, military force, the Iran war, and his expertise covers topics as broad ranging as FISA Section 702 and the terrorist detention facility at Guantanamo Bay Cuba.

Stimson holds a law degree from the George Mason University School of Law and was appointed by Virginia Governor Glenn Youngkin to the George Mason University Board of Visitors in 2023 for a four-year term. In 2024, Stimson was elected Rector of George Mason University for a two-year term.