Mr. Steven P. Howard

Award: Rosenblatt Young Naval Engineer Award
Year: 2022
Recipient: Mr. Steven P. Howard
Reason: for his significant contribution to naval engineering as set forth in the following  

CITATION:

Mentorship and unparalleled early professional achievement serves as a common thread throughout Mr. Steven P. Howard’s young career. He has set an inspiring example among colleagues and senior leaders. Mr. Steven Howard’s exceptional accomplishments far surpass the characteristics of someone at such an early stage in their career, and the quality and consistency of his work portend continued distinction in naval engineering for many years to come.

In a relatively short period of time Mr. Howard ascended rapidly from fluid systems engineer, to lead engineer for the COLUMBIA Class Stealth program, to the Branch Head responsible for one of the Navy’s most critical and demanding capabilities: Submarine Stealth.

Mr. Howard began his career in 2014 as a fluid systems engineer for COLUMBIA Class reactor plant systems and ship integration. During his tenure, he leveraged his innovative and critical thinking skills to translate the design requirements from the shipbuilding specifications and system diagrams into shipboard arrangements using new electronic visualization methods that avoided the need for physical mockups, saving over $100M in design cost and nearly two years of effort compared to the VIRGINIA class design effort. He played a pivotal role in addressing unique engineering challenges during the COLUMBIA Class design, such as the first-of-a-kind reactor compartment module construction and implementing new noise quieting features. Additionally, his efforts in developing fluid system and component design features significantly improved propulsion plant signatures, ensuring acoustic superiority for decades to come.

In 2018, Mr. Howard was hand-selected by the Director of the Advance Submarine Systems Division to lead all COLUMBIA Class stealth efforts, encompassing not only the reactor plant, but the entirety of the propulsion plant of the submarine. In this role, he expanded the development test program for noise critical systems, oversaw stealth testing of new components, and ensured the COLUMBIA Class met its acoustic requirements.

Since March 2020, Mr. Howard has served as the Branch Head for Submarine Stealth within the Advanced Submarine Systems Division, Naval Nuclear Propulsion Directorate, Naval Sea Systems Command (NAVSEA) where he oversees and directs the work of hundreds of engineers and scientists at Naval Reactors Headquarters, reactor plant prime contractors and shipyard and vendor design activities as well as engaging leadership at NAVSEA and associated technical organizations.

Over the past few years, Mr. Howard has exceeded even the highest of expectations given his relatively young career experience to date. His expertise is making a difference every day, whether he is helping an engineer understand technical details, establish project rigor by emphasizing the importance of executing to schedule baselines, or delving into the details of systems outside his direct cognizance to improve overall submarine stealth.

At his young age, Mr. Steven Howard is already a role model for other naval engineers and with his leadership is expertly contributing to the “crown jewels” of the U.S. Submarine Force in ways that could only be expected of an engineering leader of twice his seniority.

Mr. Howard is a mentor for our young Naval Nuclear Propulsion Program workforce, along with NAVSEA writ large, and represents the best example of character, integrity, and technical leadership our Navy needs at this critical time.

The American Society of Naval Engineers is honored to recognize Mr. Steven Howard as the recipient of the 2022 Rosenblatt “Young Naval Engineer” award.