june 5th guest speaker: Nick howland
VP - Jax City Council
Nick Howland is a Navy veteran, businessman, husband, and father.
After earning his bachelor’s degree at Duke University in 1995, Nick served in the U.S. Navy on guided missile destroyer USS CHANDLER and at Naval Special Warfare riverine unit SBU-22. After the Navy, he earned his MBA at the University of Chicago and joined defense systems manufacturer, Raytheon Company. Nick has been an executive in the defense industry for more than 20 years, focused on marine and defense survival products. In January 2007, he relocated his family to Jacksonville for body armor manufacturer Armor Holdings, Inc. He has since had subsequent roles as Managing Director of Survitec Group, President of Revere Survival, President of Patten Company, and director on various local and international corporate boards.
On City Council, Nick currently serves as the Chairman of the Finance Committee and is a member of the Transportation, Energy and Utilities Committee. Previously, he served on the Rules Committee, the Land Use and Zoning Committee and was Chairman of the Jacksonville Waterways Commission. Prior to his election to City Council, Nick had served in a variety of civic positions, including the City of Jacksonville’s Charter Revision Commission, the Environmental Protection Board, and the First Coast Manufacturers Association (FCMA) board. In 2019 he was appointed by the Secretary of Homeland Security to the U.S. Coast Guard’s Commercial Fishing Safety Advisory Committee.
Currently, Nick is the Executive Director of The Fire Watch, Florida’s fight to end veteran suicide, and a consultant to various marine and defense companies. He and his wife Malou are raising two teenage boys, both of whom attend Duval County public schools.Church of San Marco.