Howard R. 'Skip' Elliott

Administrator, Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) — U.S. Department of Transportation

Howard "Skip" Elliott was confirmed by the U.S. Senate on October 5, 2017, and sworn in by Secretary of Transportation Elaine L. Chao, becoming the fifth Administrator of the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA).

Elliott brings a wealth of practical, hands-on experience to PHMSA, having retired after a distinguished forty-year career from CSX Transportation in Jacksonville, Florida, where he served for more than ten-years as Vice President of Public Safety, Health, and Environment. Elliott’s portfolio at CSX included hazardous materials transportation safety, homeland security, its railroad police department, environmental compliance and operations, crisis management, occupational health management, and operational continuity.

Elliott’s tenure as an executive with a Fortune 250 freight railroad has provided experience in the boardroom, on Capitol Hill, in state houses and city halls. He is 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 the application of technology is key to pursuing PHMSA’s goal of zero safety incidents.

Elliott has earned honors from many organizations, including 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 past member of the FBI-DHS Domestic Security Alliance Council.

Skip Elliott earned a bachelor's degree in English and Criminal Justice from the IU College of Arts and Sciences, and a Master of Science from Columbia Southern University (CSU). Elliott was awarded the first ever Distinguished Alumni Award from IU’s Department of Criminal Justice in 2009 and he is a member of the Executive Dean’s Advisory Board for IU’s College of Arts and Sciences.