Robert Howden, TEP Executive Director

Robert Howden is a former senior adviser to Governor Rick Perry and a government relations veteran. In his role as senior adviser to Perry, Howden assisted the governor on a variety of issues, including economic development, and served as the governor’s liaison to the Governor’s Task Force on Economic Growth, chaired by Ross Perot, Jr. Howden was the governor’s official representative to hundreds of events throughout the state, which earned him the unofficial title, “Mayor of Texas.”
Before serving as senior adviser to Perry, Howden was communications director for the governor.
Prior to joining Perry’s staff, Howden was the Executive Director of the National Federation of Independent Business/Texas (NFIB/Texas), a position held for more than 10 years. In that position he was political and legislative leader for more than 40,000 small business members. At NFIB/Texas, Howden worked on numerous legislative issues such as the small business franchise tax exemption.

An Austin native, he graduated from the University of Texas in 1983. He is currently on the Board of Texas Exes and the UT Athletic Foundation. He and his wife, Jana, have three children, Spence, Connor and Morgan.