Preston Howard leaving Water Quality to head MCIC
RALEIGH -- A. Preston Howard Jr., director of the state Division of
Water Quality since 1993, is leaving to become president of the Manufacturers and Chemical Industry Council of North Carolina.
"I have enjoyed my years with the state and will really miss my friends
and coworkers in the department, especially the water quality division staff," said Howard, who assumes his new duties March 15.
"North Carolina is fortunate to have such a qualified, dedicated, hard
working group of people in the water quality program," he added. "It was a difficult decision to leave, but I'm looking forward to the new opportunities and challenges ahead."
As director of DWQ, Howard has overseen regulatory programs in surface
water and groundwater protection. He manages a staff of approximately 500 people located in five Raleigh headquarters offices and in seven regional field offices.
"Preston has done a tremendous job and has played an integral role in
our efforts to protect and restore North Carolina's water quality.," said Secretary Wayne McDevitt of the Department of Environment and Natural Resources. "He has spear-headed efforts on river basin planning, livestock regulation, wetlands restoration, and has strengthened compliance and enforcement programs."
A 24-year state employee, Howard has responsibilities for planning,
regulation and legislation development; permitting, compliance monitoring, wetlands restoration, state revolving funds including those for wastewater treatment upgrades, laboratory support and enforcement activities. He also serves as Executive Secretary to the state Environmental Management Commission.
He joined the department in 1974 as an environmental engineering
technician in the former Division of Environmental Management, which regulated both water and air quality issues. Two years later, Howard took an educational leave of absence to complete a bachelor of science degree in civil engineering technology from Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va. He returned to the department in 1978 as an environmental engineer in the division's Washington Regional Office.
Certified as a registered professional engineer in 1982, he rose
through the ranks to become supervisor of the Wilmington Regional Office -- a post he held from February 1988 to June 1992. Howard served as acting division director from July 1992 until March 1993, when Gov. Jim Hunt appointed him division head.
Due to increasing workload and resource limitations, DEM was reorganized on July 1, 1996 into two divisions -- the Division of Water Quality and the Division of Air Quality. Howard has headed DWQ since that time, and has been the division's longest serving director.
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Contact: Ernie Seneca, (919) 733-7015
Date released: 02/22/99
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