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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 Travis Rhoades, from Ohio. He has been a dedicated member of NSPE and the Ohio Society of Professional Engineers (OSPE) for many years.  Rhodes is the principal – transportation practice lead for Civil & Environmental Consultants, Inc. in Toledo, Ohio. As a leader of bridge design projects, his responsibilities include overseeing multidiscipline design coordination; conducting quality assurance reviews to maintain standards; collaborating with clients on proposals, scope, and schedules; and driving business development strategies to expand the company’s client base.

Rhoades has been a member of OSPE’s Toledo Regional Society of Professional Engineers (TRSPE) since 2012. In the ensuing years, he has remained dedicated to advancing its mission, ensuring its strategic direction, and mentoring new leaders while serving in various roles for the organization, including board trustee, membership chair, first vice president and events chair, president, and state representative.

Rhoades has also made a meaningful impact at the state level. As OSPE president (2022-2023) and past president (2023-2024), he successfully guided the organization through strategic initiatives, expanding its impact within the engineering community. As vice president of Legislative & Government Affairs and chair of the Ethics Committee, Rhoades has focused his efforts on ethical standards and legislative initiatives including advocating for policies that protect public safety, supporting licensure integrity, and engaging with lawmakers to ensure that engineering perspectives are represented in key legislative matters.

At the national level, Rhoades served as the House of Delegates representative (2022-2024). In this role he helped shape policy initiatives and represented the interests of engineers throughout Ohio as a participant in Central Region leadership and House of Delegates meetings. He made it a priority to strengthen collaboration between NSPE and state societies. In his current role as the Central Region representative on the NSPE Board of Ethical Review (2023-2026), he strives to uphold the highest standards of integrity and professionalism in the engineering community.

Among the accolades Rhoades has received over the course of his career are the TRSPE Toledo Area Young Engineer of the Year Award (2014), the OSPE Young Engineer of the Year Award (2015), and the OSPE Outstanding Leadership Award (2019).

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