2023 Hall of Fame Inductee
North Carolina A&T State University (1970)
Col. (Ret.) Howard W. McMillan was born on May 30, 1948, in St. Pauls, North Carolina. He attended North Carolina A&T State University and completed a Bachelor of Science in Political Science. Graduating as a Distinguished Military Graduate, McMillan commissioned into the Army in 1970.
McMillan served in multiple CONUS and OCONUS locations and commanded at company, battalion and brigade levels to include Garrison Command by the Army’s inaugural central selection board for garrison commanders -- serving as Commander, U.S. Army Garrison, Fort Sam Houston, Texas.
McMillan was selected as a faculty member in the Department of Social Sciences at the United States Military Academy at West Point.
Following a series of field assignments, McMillan was selected to be the initial Installation Management Staff Officer for a Chief of Staff of the Army, initiative that became the Army Communities of Excellence.
After 29 years of service, McMillan retired from the Army on December 31, 1999. His military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Service Medal, Legion of Merit (2nd award), Meritorious Service Medal (5th award), Army Commendation Medal (3rd award), National Defense Service Medal (2nd award), Army Staff Badge, Master Parachutist Badge and the Order of Horatio Gates Bronze Medal.
Post retirement, McMillan joined the local government as the County Administrator, Campbell County, Kentucky. He instituted beneficial adjustments in the County’s personnel system that mirrored aspects of the civilian federal workforce management system.
Moving to the private sector in 2007, McMillan worked for ITT Systems Division in support of the DoD mission in the Middle East and in CONUS as private sector manager(s) for garrison logistical support.
Accepting an opportunity to return to federal civil service in 2008, McMillan was recruited to lead a pilot program in Department of Homeland Security – E-Verify – a nationwide program that enrolled 635,000 employers and government agencies under McMillan’s leadership that remains a critical key component in the nation’s developing immigration policy, in helping to ensure only individuals born in or legally present in the United States are granted the right to work.
He then transitioned to the Department of Transportation in December 2016, to serve as the Executive Director and Chief Safety Officer for the Pipelines and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration. For his performance, he earned the U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary’s Partnership Award.
In 2019, McMillan established a 3-tier leadership development program that is included in the agency’s congressional justification to Congress, in support of annual appropriations.
About the Army ROTC Hall of Fame
The ROTC Hall of Fame was established in 2016 as part of the ROTC Centennial celebration. The first class (2016) inducted 326 former ROTC Cadets who had distinguished themselves in their military or civilian career.
The Hall of Fame honors graduates of the Army Reserve Officers’ Training Corps who have distinguished themselves in military or civilian pursuits. It provides a prestigious and tangible means of recognizing and honoring Army ROTC Alumni who have made lasting, significant contributions to the Nation, the Army and the history and traditions of the Army ROTC Program.
Read more about the 2023 Hall of Fame Inductees.
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