Zach Townsend was elected as the Southern Region International Vice President by the General Executive Board on April 16, 2020.

Townsend was reelected to serve as the Southern Region International Vice President by delegates at the 2022 BCTGM Constitutional Convention.

Townsend became a member of Local 42 (Atlanta) in 1998 when he began working at Sonoco Products. In 1990 he was elected as shop steward and several years later, he was elected as Chief Shop Steward, a position he served for more than 15 years.

Townsend served as a member of Local 42’s Executive Board, representing the members of Sonoco Products. In 2008 he was elected as the Vice President of Local 42. In the middle of his term, Townsend stepped in to serve as Local 42 President when a auto accident forced the retirement of the the elected Local 42 President. In 2010, Townsend was appointed to Local 42 Business Agent, a position he served until December 2014 when he became Business Manager of Local 42.

In May 2018, Townsend was appointed as a Southern Region International Representative.