Academy of Distinguished Alumni
Ray E. Martin, Academy of Distinguished Alumni Award 1999
B.S. 1964, M.S. 1968
CEO
Schnabel Engineering Associates

Ray Martin, the Chief Executive Officer of Schnabel Engineering Associates since 1993, began his career as a junior engineer with the Baltimore & Ohio Railroad Company after earning his B.S. in Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech in 1964.



After discovering that his love of trains and working for a railroad company were not one and the same, he returned to Virginia Tech to earn a M.S. in Civil Engineering in 1968 and then attended West Virginia University, where he received a Ph.D. in 1972. At that time he was employed as a senior staff engineer with Joseph F. Ward Associates (currently Converse Consultants) in Caldwell, New Jersey.



After completing his Ph.D., he began work for Schnabel as a project engineer in the Bethesda, Maryland office. Two years later he moved to Richmond to open the first branch office of Schnabel and was named an associate of the firm. In 1984 he became a principal with Schnabel and led the Richmond office until he became President of the firm in 1988. He currently works in the Corporate office in Ashland, Virginia.



Today, Schnabel Engineering has 270 employees and offices in 14 cities including New Brunswick, New Jersey; Atlanta, Georgia; and Denver, Colorado. Dr. Martin's primary engineering practice relates to design of new dams and rehabilitation of existing dams and consulting on building foundations.



A Registered P.E. in nine states and the District of Columbia, Dr. Martin is a former President of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers, which presented him with the Distinguished Service Award in 1982. He has been inducted into Tau Beta Pi and Chi Epsilon and is a member and a Fellow of the American Society of Civil Engineers.



Dr. Martin taught Foundation Engineering at the University of Virginia as an adjunct faculty member for a number of years and is active in the College of Engineering at Virginia Tech. A long-time member of the college's Committee of 100, he has served two terms as Chairman of the Advisory Board. He also served on the CEE Advisory Board from 1987 through 1993. In recognition of his service, the College of Engineering presented Ray Martin with the Distinguished Service Award in 1993. He is also a member of the Ut Prosim Society of Virginia Tech.



Dr. Martin has been a member of Duncan Memorial United Methodist Church since 1974 and has been active as Finance Committee Chairman, Administrative Board Chairman and a Senior High Sunday School Teacher for a number of years. He also has served on numerous citizens committees for the Town of Ashland related to planning and economic development.



Ray and his wife Carol live in Ashland. They have a son and two daughters and three grandchildren.