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The National Society of Professional Engineers (NSPE) has welcomed seven (7) professional engineers to its 2025 class of Fellow members. The Fellow designation honors active NSPE members who have demonstrated exemplary and devoted service to their profession, the Society, and their community. Requirements for the title include holding at least one elected office at any level and active involvement at the national level.

Among this year’s distinguished honorees is Susan Habina-Woolard, P.E., from North Carolina. She has been a dedicated member of NSPE and the Professional Engineers of North Carolina (PENC) for many years. Habina-Woolard has worked as a licensed professional engineer for more than 20 years, dedicating her career to public service in the government sector. In that time, she has served as an engineer for the City of New Bern, the Town of Indian Trail, and the City of Charlotte. In her current role with the Town of Matthews, she administers technical projects and programs and advises town management and elected officials on engineering issues that affect the health, safety, and welfare of community members and visitors. She supports public works, parks and recreation, fire departments, and the city administration with engineering research and solutions, studies, and reports on emerging technologies that may impact the community.

Habina-Woolard’s commitment to service extends to the local and state levels of the PENC. She is a regular participant in Charlotte Chapter events and meetings, including spearheading preparations for the Charlotte Seminar. She has served in various roles on the PENC Executive Committee, including as president in the mid-2010s, when she helped guide the society back to financial stability during economically trying times. As a participant in the inaugural PENC Leadership Institute, she has passionately championed the program ever since.

Nationally, Habina-Woolard served as the North Carolina representative to the NSPE House of Delegates from 2017 to 2019. She recently completed a term as NSPE’s Southeast Regional Director, where she served on the membership committee and the Women’s Leadership Task Force. She has also served as a frequent presenter at the annual NSPECon.

Habina-Woolard is also a long-time volunteer as a licensing exam practice test taker with the North Carolina Board of Examiners for Engineers and Surveyors and has participated on the steering committee of the North Carolina Women in Engineering Conference since its inception.

Throughout her distinguished career, Habina-Woolard has received recognition for her contributions to the engineering profession. She was named PENC Engineer of the Year in 2013. In 2015, she earned the Society of Women Engineers’ Charlotte Chapter Distinguished Service Award. She received the PENC President’s Award in 2018.

NSPE state and territorial societies can nominate one person for each 500 voting members on their rolls per year. Nominations are also open to NSPE interest groups, chartered affinity groups, and the Board of Directors. Since its establishment in 2000, around one percent of all NSPE members have advanced to this highest rank in volunteer membership.

“It is with great enthusiasm that we recognize this year’s class of Fellows, who have been selected by their peers for exceptional and dedicated service at the chapter, state, and national levels of NSPE,” says NSPE President Brian Malm, P.E., F.NSPE. “NSPE is proud of their accomplishments and indelible mark on the engineering profession, the Society, and their communities. We look forward to their continued leadership and contributions.”

The 2025 NSPE Fellows include the following (in alphabetical order):

Phil Gundvaldson, P.E., South Dakota – North Central 
Susan Habina-Woolard, P.E., North Carolina – Southeast Region
Colin Hewett, P.E., Maine – Northeast Region
Brian LaFoy, P.E., ENV SP, Texas – Southwest Region
Jennifer Nolan-Kremm, P.E., Pennsylvania – Northeast Region
Travis L. Rhoades, P.E., Ohio – Central Region
Aurea L. Rivera, P.E., PMP, PMI-ACP, Ohio – Central Region