Current Debate Speaker: Howard Elliott

Howard Elliott

• Administrator, Pipeline & Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) Department of Transportation (USA)

Howard "Skip" Elliott was sworn in as the fifth Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) by Secretary Elaine L. Chao on October 30, 2017.

Elliott brings a wealth of practical, hands-on experience to PHMSA, after retiring from CSX Transportation in Jacksonville, FL, where he served as Vice President of Public Safety, Health, Environment, and Security. Elliott’s portfolio at CSX included hazardous materials, transportation safety, homeland security, railroad policing, environmental compliance and operations, crisis management, occupational health management, and operational continuity.

Elliott has more than 40 years of experience in the boardroom, on Capitol Hill, in state houses and city halls. He was a pioneer of the digital age, developing and implementing computer-based tools to assist emergency response officials, first responders, and homeland security personnel in preparing for and mitigating railroad hazmat and security incidents. He firmly believes that application of technology is key to pursuing PHMSA’s goal of zero safety incidents.

Elliott has earned honors from a number of institutions and is a recipient of the Association of American Railroads’ (AAR) prestigious Holden-Proefrock award for lifetime achievement in hazardous materials transportation safety. Elliott has served on the AAR’s Risk Management Working Committee and its Security Committee, and is a member of the American Society of Industrial Security and the FBI-DHS Domestic Security Alliance Council.

Skip Elliott earned a double-major degree in English and Forensic Studies at Indiana University, and a Master of Science from Columbia Southern University. He was named the Distinguished Alumni from IU’s Department of Criminal Justice in 2009 and is a member of the University’s Executive Dean’s Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences.