Our Next Speaker

Martin C. Townes, Deputy Butler at the Executive Mansion of Virginia; “The History of the Townes Family at Virginia’s Executive Mansion”

Martin Charles Townes was born at MCV Hospital right across the street from the Executive Mansion of Virginia. He grew up in King and Queen County and currently lives in King William county.

From 2001 to 2007 he was a member of the Virginia Army National Guard and served as a Combat Engineer and graduated from VCU with a degree in anthropology in 2016.

He began working at the Executive Mansion in 2019. Today he is one of the Deputy Butlers at the Executive Mansion of Virginia having served Governor Ralph Northam and Governor Glenn Youngkin. The position is responsible for event planning and organization, purchasing, managing other staff, pet care, and assisting with the overall comfort and experience of the first family. He also serves as the Executive Mansion Historian, currently serves on the Virginia Board of Historic Resources and is one of the Statewide Ambassadors for the Virginia 250 Commission or VA250 for short.

Martin and his wife Kimberly are the parents of two elementary school children, Mekonnen (son) and Kamara (daughter).