Associate Administrator

Biography

David L. Howard is Associate Administrator for Policy and Government Affairs at the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). He was appointed in March 2016 after a long history of both professional and political service.

In his current role at FHWA, Howard serves as principal advisor to the Federal Highway Administrator and manages a team of 70+ career employees involved in transportation policy development, legislative analysis, highway data collection and analysis, and international programs. His office is responsible for overseeing FHWA’s implementation of the FAST Act.

Prior to joining DOT, Howard was an At-Large Member on Charlotte City Council for six years from 2009 to 2015. During his tenure, he chaired the Governance and Accountability Committee (2013-2015) and the Transportation and Planning Committee (2009 – 2013). Howard served as the Council Representative (2009-2013) for the Charlotte Regional Transportation Planning Organization (CRTPO), the area's Metropolitan Planning Organization (MPO). He was the co-chair of the Metropolitan Transit Commission (MTC) Transit Finance Working Group -- a committee to explore financing options to move the region’s mass transit program forward. Before being elected to City Council, Howard was a member of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Planning Commission for six years, and was chairman from July 2007 to June 2009. While serving as an elected official, Howard also was honored to be named a 2011 inaugural fellows class with the NBC LEO, a caucus of the National League of Cities, and eventually achieving the position of First Vice President of the NBC LEO Board of Directors.

Professionally, Howard was the Senior Vice President of Strategic Initiatives and Fund Development of The Housing Partnership from 1997 until 2016. The Housing Partnership is the largest developer of affordable, workforce housing in the region, having participated in the development of over 2,500 housing units.

On the national level, Howard was also appointed and served as a National Urban Community Advisor for the National Urban Land Institute in Washington and participated in a number of meetings aimed at setting policies and studies around issues urban centers face. He also served on the group's Transit Oriented Development (TOD) product working committee.

On the international stage, Howard was selected as a 2009 American Memorial Fellow by The German Marshall Fund, and is a member of the BMW Foundation's Responsible Leaders Community.

Howard is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He and his wife Mary Walker-Howard have four children and two grandsons.