Amarillo District Engineer

Effective September 1, 2008, Howard Holland, P.E., was named district engineer in the Amarillo District of the Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT).

The district includes the following counties: Armstrong, Carson, Dallam, Deaf Smith, Gray, Hansford, Hartley, Hemphill, Hutchinson, Lipscomb, Moore, Ochiltree, Oldham, Potter, Randall, Roberts, and Sherman.

Howard, an 18-year TxDOT veteran, not only has an outstanding engineering background, but he also has a keen understanding of the vital role agriculture plays in the state’s economy. His varied background makes him an excellent fit for the Amarillo region, as the Ports-to-Plains initiative and the energy and agricultural industries work together to move the Panhandle forward.

Since July 2008, Howard has served as the Interim District Engineer and Deputy District Engineer for the Beaumont District, overseeing all engineering operations for the 8-county district. During his tenure with TxDOT Howard has worked on some of the state’s most significant transportation projects, including the reconstruction of 1939 Regency Suspension Bridge near San Saba and the bridge interchange at Lamar and Ben White Boulevard in Austin.

Howard’s TxDOT career began in 1990 when he joined the Bridge Division as a field engineer. From there, he moved to the South Travis Area Office in 1992 as an assistant area engineer. He was promoted to Lampasas Area Engineer for the Brownwood District in 1994, responsible for design, construction, administration, and maintenance operations in Lampasas, Mills and San Saba counties. Named the district’s director of operations in 2001, he oversaw construction, maintenance, materials and tests, traffic operations and contract administration for the 9-county district.

He graduated from Texas A&M University with a Bachelor of Science degree in agricultural engineering in 1977. Before joining TxDOT, he worked for the U.S. Department of Agriculture as an agricultural engineer in Denver, Colorado and was part owner of an engineering consulting firm in Marble Falls. Howard was licensed as a professional engineer in 1983.

Howard and his wife Melanie have four daughters, three granddaughters and three grandsons.