Growing up on a dairy farm in Fairfax County, Virginia, Howell Simmons developed an early interest in stormwater runoff as he observed the effects of large storms on the land. Later, studying Civil Engineering at Virginia Tech, he gained a formal understanding of the hydrological and hydraulic aspects of stormwater management.



A member of the Corps of Cadets, Mr. Simmons was commissioned a Second Lieutenant in the U.S. Air Force upon earning his B.S. in 1961. After receiving a M.S. in 1963, he worked in the aerospace industry in California for two years before being called to serve three years active duty as an Air Force Engineering Officer. He later served 18 years in the Air National Guard while pursuing his civilian career in consultant engineering, and retired as a Colonel in 1988.



In 1971 Mr. Simmons joined Berry Engineers, which later became Paciulli, Simmons & Associates. In 1980 he became President of the firm, which has offices in Fairfax and Loudon counties, Virginia, and provides services in civil engineering, land planning, environmental science, surveying, and landscape architecture. Clients include land developers, educational institutions, and government agencies in the mid-Atlantic region. The firm traces its roots to 1744 when it was established by Henry Gunnell, who served on Falls Church and Potomac Canal Committees with George Washington. Mr. Simmons is the first President who has not been a descendant of the Gunnell family line.



Active in his profession, Mr. Simmons was named Engineer of the Year in 1989 by the Fairfax Chapter of the Virginia Society of Professional Engineers. He was a founding board member of the Engineers and Surveyors Institute, established in 1987 to improve and facilitate the engineering design and municipal approval processes in northern Virginia. He is a past Chairman of the Fairfax County Engineering Standards Review Committee and an active member of the American Society of Civil Engineers, National Society of Professional Engineers, and American Society of Engineering Education.



Mr. Simmons has maintained a close relationship with educational institutions throughout his career and in 1981 earned a Master of Engineering Education degree at George Washington University. He has served as a guest speaker at several universities, including Virginia Tech, Pennsylvania State University, Virginia Military Institute, and University of Iowa, and he has taught Civil Engineering Technology at Northern Virginia Community College. He is a past member of Penn State's Co-op Engineering Advisory Committee.



He currently is Chairman of the Construction Administration Committee for a major addition and renovation to the United Christian Parish in Reston, where he has been a member since the church was founded in 1974.



An active Virginia Tech alumnus, Mr. Simmons is a past Chairman of the CEE Alumni Board. He also is a member of the College of Engineering Committee of 100 and of the CEE Transportation Advisory Board at the university's Northern Virginia Center.



Howell and his wife, Ann, recently celebrated their 37th anniversary. They have two children and one grandchild. Ann, who received a M.S. in Curriculum and Instruction from Virginia Tech in 1976, was named the Reading Teacher of the Year in 1986 by the Virginia State Reading Association. Howell enjoys training Labrador retrievers, and his two dogs have won numerous titles at hunt trials throughout the mid-Atlantic states.