State Board Announces New Executive Director

The State Water Resources Control Board has announced that Tom Howard will become the board’s next executive director in August.

An engineer who has held a variety of positions at the board since 1984, Howard has served as chief deputy director since 2003. His new post becomes effective Aug. 6 upon the retirement of Dorothy Rice.

State Board Chair Charlie Hoppin said Howard has demonstrated leadership ability and a thorough understanding of the state’s complex water issues.

“As Chief Deputy Director, he has served multiple times as acting executive director and we have seen his leadership skills in action,” Hoppin said. “He is not only known and trusted by us, but by our stakeholders and staff. He will hit the ground running.”

Howard is a registered Professional Chemical Engineer and holds a B.A. from UC Berkeley and master’s degrees from both Cal Tech and UC Davis.