Faculty Profile

Charity Osborn

Charity Osborn

Associate Professor of Business Law; Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies

Email: osbornc@spu.edu
Phone: 206-281-2906
Office: McKenna Hall 207


Education: BA, University of Illinois at Urbana, 1997; JD, University of Michigan Law School, 2002. At SPU since 2015.

After two years of teaching Legal Environment of Business to undergraduate and MBA students as an adjunct instructor, Dr. Osborn joined the SPU faculty in 2015. 

Charity’s experience as an attorney includes working in private practice as well as in the not-for-profit sector as a staff attorney at the Institute for Justice.  There, she litigated to preserve the economic, property, educational and free speech rights of individuals and small businesses against the government.  She also contributed many pro bono hours serving indigent clients at the Union Gospel Mission Legal Services Clinic.

Charity was one of the co-founders of the Seattle chapter of Kiros, a volunteer organization that seeks to equip Christian business people in making a deeper connection between faith and work.  Her particular academic area of interest is in the intersection between law and ethics, and is passionate about preparing students to act in an ethical, Godly manner, even when the law may not specifically require it.

Since 2006, Charity has led worship at Union Church, where she sings and plays the piano, cello, and guitar, and contributes original musical and liturgical compositions. 


Dr. Osborn Teaching in Class

Why I Teach at SPU

Charity Osborn, Associate Professor of Business Law, Associate Dean of Undergraduate Studies 

“Businesspeople have a lot of power in the United States (arguably, more power than any other single group), and history has shown us that the legal system alone cannot sufficiently protect us from the abuse and mismanagement of that power: we must also rely on the good character and integrity of the people who make up those businesses. Teaching in the SBGE at SPU, I have the privilege of participating every day in the world-changing work of helping develop the type of leaders who will advance—not detract from—human flourishing.  I am consistently delighted by the students who come to SPU from various backgrounds with the shared goal of developing not only competence, but character, and who invite me into their lives to help equip and encourage them on their way. These students give me great hope for the future!”