Young alumni board adds 10 new members

December 1, 2022 Engineering Communications 2-min. read

Wolf Plaza during fall. Two bronze sculptures of wolves, one head down, the other howling. — Wolf Plaza during fall. Photo by Marc Hall

Ten College of Engineering (COE) graduates joined the 2022-23 Young Alumni Advisory Board (YAAB), bringing the group to 30 members.

Formed in 2018 by the NC State Engineering Foundation, YAAB aims to encourage support from the growing population of COE young alumni. The College defines “young alumni” as students who are 0-15 years post-graduation from their last degree earned. Currently, 39.5 percent, or 27,706, of graduates are young alumni.

New members are excited to give back to the College by volunteering and connecting with current students.

“Recognizing the value that NC State and the [COE] provides not only to our profession but to our community, I have always wanted to give back to my alma mater,” said Charlie Townsend, civil engineering ‘15 and MBA ‘21. The Townsend family has a deep connection to NC State Engineering. His mother, Pamela Townsend, who has bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil engineering from NC State, serves on the Engineering Foundation’s Board of Directors. She was named a Distinguished Engineering Alumna in 2016.

“I joined YAAB to renew my connection with COE, to build new relationships with young alumni board members, and to help fellow Wolfpack engineers find ways to stay connected with NC State as young alumni,” said Tyler Ellington, mechanical engineering ’15, ‘19.

Members of YAAB are drawn from various engineering disciplines, with new board members representing seven different departments.

While young engineers, they have all made significant strides in their careers. Rachel Kennedy, industrial and systems engineering ‘17, has worked her way up from leadership development programs to leadership roles, while Christopher Bailey, mechanical engineering ’16, now manages million-dollar contracts with large government agencies.