Howard Elliott, a recent retiree of CSX Transportation of Florida, was sworn in last week as administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration by Transportation Secretary Elaine Chao.
At CSX Transportation of Florida, Elliott served as vice president of public safety, health, environment, and security. In that role, he oversaw many of the things he will be expected to tackle in his current role: hazardous materials, safety of transportation, crisis management, as well as occupational health and continuity concerns.
He had advocated for the development and implementation of computer-based tools to assist in emergency response, at all levels. He also has 40 years of boardroom experience, after graduating with dual majors in English and Forensic Studies at Indiana University, and a Master of Science from Columbia Southern University.
In those 40 years, Elliott has also earned a lifetime achievement award from the Association of American Railroads for his work on hazardous materials transportation study. He supplemented such efforts by working on both AAR’s Risk Management Working Committee and its Security Committee, as well as assisting the American Society of Industrial Security and the Domestic Security Alliance Council as run jointly by the FBI and Department of Homeland Security.