Michael Townsend

Michael Townsend has been a Westminster parent since 2006 and is the parent of three graduates, Avery (2015), Emily (2017), and William (2022).

Professionally, Mike Townsend has spent more than 21 years at the Charles Schwab Corporation, where is he is Managing Director for Legislative and Regulatory Affairs. He is the company’s principal political analyst and he gives more than 100 speeches a year to clients, investor advisers and industry conferences about how policy and political decisions in Washington affect the capital markets, individual investors and investment advisers. He is also the host of Schwab’s popular podcast, WashingtonWise Investor. Prior to joining Schwab, Mr. Townsend was a vice president at Powell Tate, Inc., a Washington public affairs firm, and he served as an aide to two U.S. Senators in the 1990s.

Mike’s volunteer experience includes two years as the Senior Warden (chief lay officer) at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church on Capitol Hill, and he later served as co-chair of the church’s $5 million capital campaign to renovate its Parish Hall, offices and classroom space. He has also served in a variety of roles at his alma mater, Bowdoin College, including as a member of the Alumni Council, chair of the Bowdoin Career Advisory Network and as a member of the selection committee for Bowdoin’s Athletic Hall of Honor. He earned a B.A. degree in English from Bowdoin, and a M.A. in English from George Mason University.