Charles Nelson's School of Self-Defense by Charles Nelson

In 1984, Charles Nelson, an American architect with over 50 years of expertise, relocated to Australia. Charles is worldwide known as an authority on the application of ISO 9001 to the design professions. He is the author of McGraw Hill's 1996 book TQM and ISO 9000 for Architects and Designers, and he is Australia's leading provider of ISO 9001 systems to building design professionals. He is the author of quality management sections in the 13th edition and Update 2003 of the American Institute of Architects' Architect's Handbook of Professional Practice. He is also the editor and author of Managing Quality in Architecture: A Handbook for Built Environment Creators, published by Elsevier in 2006. Charles chaired the Practice Management Advisory Group of the American Institute of Architects from 2003 to 2004.

He is a past chair of the RAIA Victorian Chapter's Professional Development Committee and has produced several continuing education programs for the Royal Australian Institute of Architects Education Division, including its Risk Management course. Over the last 25 years, Charles has given over 100 full-day workshops on quality management, as well as numerous conference sessions on risk management, project management, strategic alliances, and design management. At 12 annual American Institute of Architects National Conventions, he has given courses on design and construction quality management.