ASME President, 1989-1990

Charles O. Velzy is President of Charles R Velzy Associates, Inc., Armonk, N.Y.  He is also Vice President of its parent company, Roy F. Weston, Inc., West Chester, PA.  Mr. Velzy is an expert in the engineering of waste treatment and disposal systems.

In 1966, Mr. Velzy and his father reorganized Nussbaumer, Clark and Velzy to found Charles R Velzy Associates, Inc.  Prior to this, Mr. Velzy was a design engineer in charge of design and construction services on specific projects in waste engineering for the original company.

From 1966 to 1976, Mr. Velzy’s job functions included secretary/treasurer, member of the board of directors, and overall supervision of engineering projects.  He also coordinated projects such as design of facilities to utilize the heat from burning refuse to produce power and fresh water from sea water for boiler make-up and other in-plant uses.  Mr. Velzy assumed the position of president of Charles R Velzy Associates, Inc. in 1976.

In the 1950s, Mr. Velzy was an instructor in the civil engineering department of the University of Illinois.  Mr. Velzy also served as a special consultant to the EPA Science Advisory Board, and completed a number of assignments for the World Health Organization.

A member of ASME since 1967 and a Fellow since 1976, Mr. Velzy has participated in numerous ASME activities, including the Council on Engineering, the Council on Codes and Standards and its writing committees, the Board on Research and its committees, the Council on Education, and the Council on Public Affairs.

Mr. Velzy has served in many organizations concerned with engineering of waste treatment.  He was formerly a chairman of the American National Standard Institute’s Committee on Incineration, vice chairman for the American Society for Testing and Materials Committee on Methods of Atmospheric Sampling and Analysis, and the secretary to the U.S. Technical Advisory Group to the International Organization for Standardization’s Committee on Air Quality.

Mr. Velzy is a registered professional engineer in New York and 14 additional states.  He has written numerous technical papers, including a section on incineration in the current edition of Mark’s Standard Handbook for Mechanical Engineers.

He also has been recognized by his peers for his contributions to the field of mechanical engineering, with a listing in Engineers of Distinction, published by the Engineer’s Joint Council, Who’s Who in America and various honorary biographic publications.
In 1953, 1959 and 1960, respectively, he received a Bachelor of Mechanical Engineering, a Master of Science and a Bachelor of Civil Engineering from University of Illinois.  Mr. Velzy also served in the U.S. Army from 1954 through 1956.