The name Charlie Howard is known to almost everyone in Fort Bend County. He is state representative for Dist. 26. He was a major developer of First Colony. He has served on the boards of many charitable, governmental and professional organizations, and has been widely recognized for his work in the state legislature. His involvement in the county began in the early 1970s.  

Jo and Charlie Howard met in Huntsville, Ala., where Charlie was in the space program and Jo was teaching high school math. Soon Jo was on her way to Ole Miss for a master ’s degree in science. After graduation she entered the space program, working on flight trajectory plans while Charlie was working in the command center. He was there during the landing on the moon.

Charlie left for Harvard University to obtain a master’s degree in finance about the same time Jo was transferred to NASA in Clear Lake. When Charlie graduated from Harvard, the couple married and established residence in Houston. In 2010, the Howards will celebrate 40 years of working as partners to fulfill their goals.

First Colony

Charlie joined Gerald D. Hines Interests in 1973, heading up the development team for First Colony as vice president and operating officer for Sugar Land Properties Inc., a joint venture of Gerald D. Hines Interests and Royal Dutch Shell Pension Fund.

When plans were in development for  First Colony, Charlie said he wanted a community that would provide an excellent quality of life to its residents. During the planning stages, sites were designated for churches, schools, community parks and and other amenities, including more than 60,000 trees.

When it came to naming streets, Charlie often chose family names, such as Julie Rivers Drive, which is named for  his daughter.

“Charlie sometimes chose family names for streets. The children and grandchildren in the Howard family all carry the middle name Rivers after my grandfather, ” said Jo. “All of the male descendents in our family have three first names, like our son Chad Joseph Rivers Howard, named after Charlie ’s father.”

First Colony is a 9,700-acre master-planned community that encompasses more than 9,500 residential homes with approximately 55,000 residents in 61 neighborhoods. It stretches across parts of Sugar Land and Missouri City.

“Hines wanted us to live in Sugar Land to oversee the development of First Colony. One of the out-partials of land in Sugar Land, originally purchased by Hines from Sugar Land Industries, is where we built our home, ” Charlie said.

While Charlie was developing First Colony, Jo worked as a

Community Service

Charlie was one of the founding directors of the Fort Bend Economic Development Council, past chapter president of the National Association of Office and Industrial Parks, and has also served on the boards of Fort Bend County Water Supply Corporation and Fort Bend Community Hospital, and is a life member and past president of the Fort Bend Chamber of Commerce.

Howard has also won numerous awards for his contributions to Fort Bend county, including his efforts in securing  land for the University of Houston campus and a regional park in Sugar Land, as well as being a major proponent for the Southwest Freeway expansion.

Life Changes

When the 1990s rolled around, the Howards’ lives would be changed forever.

“Charlie was diagnosed with cancer, which when you are told, it is very scary and difficult. But we met with doctors and made a plan, and we focused on following the plan. We also focused on God as the object of our faith, ” Jo said.

After Charlie’s recovery, the couple attended a Bible study at Sugar Creek Baptist Church, which challenged them to expand their community service. Charlie followed his heart and decided with his experience, education and community aware- ness he could best serve his community from the state capital.

“We are very fortunate to live in Sugar Land and in Texas. Through the legislature, we have managed to maintain lower taxes than most states, provide a business-friendly atmosphere, draw new businesses to Texas, retain the [good] opinion of independents by drilling for oil and leading the nation on energy renewal, balance the state budget and keep the state government fiscally responsible. This is never an easy job, but I am pleased with the accomplishments, ” Charlie says.

Also, Charlie added, while most other states’ budgets are in the red, Texas has $6 billion set aside for emergencies.

“One thing I think is very important, is that we believe God is in control of our lives, ” said Charlie. “I tell people to be open to God’s direction because he will use you at different times in your life to accomplish different things. ”

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