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Charles Townsend, P.E., was honored with the 2024 New Professional Award during NSPECon24 in Raleigh, North Carolina. This award recognizes a young NSPE member who has made outstanding contributions to the engineering profession and the community during the early years of one’s career.
Townsend is a Project Manager and Land Development Team Leader at VHB Raleigh, where he works with clients in the commercial, industrial, and residential sectors on site/civil design and permitting solutions. Townsend earned his bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from North Carolina State University in 2015 and an MBA in business finance in 2021. He is a licensed professional engineer in North Carolina and has over a decade of experience in the engineering profession.
After graduating in 2015, Townsend joined WithersRavenel as a founding member of their Raleigh office. He later helped establish BGE’s Raleigh office in 2019, where he managed project teams, subconsultants, proposals, and budgets. In March 2022, he joined VHB, where he quickly advanced to his current leadership role.
In addition to his professional achievements, Townsend is active in various civic and community organizations. He has served in leadership roles within the Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC), including Community Leadership Chair for the Triangle Chapter and secretary of the PENC Educational Foundation board. Townsend also serves on PENC’s University Speaker Series committee and the Raleigh Seminar planning committee.
Townsend is an active volunteer with his alma mater, North Carolina State University, where he serves on the College of Engineering Young Alumni Advisory Board and the College Relations Subcommittee. He is the North Carolina Regional Coordinator for the Future City Competition and has played a significant role in securing funding for the program and inspiring young students to pursue careers in engineering.
The 2024 New Professional Award recognizes Townsend’s contributions to the engineering profession and his commitment to community service. His dedication to both his work and his community exemplifies the values of the National Society of Professional Engineers.
Applications for the 2025 NSPE New Professional Award are now open and are being accepted through March 1, 2025. Learn more and apply here.
Founded in 1934, the National Society of Professional Engineers supports over 500,000 professional engineers, and the public, by fostering licensed professional engineers in service to society, ensuring the public can be confident that engineering decisions affecting their lives are made by qualified and ethically accountable professionals. Through education, licensure advocacy, leadership training, multidisciplinary networking, and outreach, NSPE enhances the image of professional engineers and their ability to ethically and professionally practice engineering. For more information, please visit www.nspe.org.