Department of Economics

Travis Hylton

  • Graduated: 1997
  • Field: , Environment, Management/Entrepreneurship

Travis Hylton(opens in new window) completed his Economics coursework at CSU Chico in 1997 after having received a BS in Civil Engineering(opens in new window) with emphasis in Water Resources Engineering from UC Irvine(opens in new window) in 1992. Travis is Associate Director of the USGS Pacific Islands Water Science Center(opens in new window), managing scientists and hydrologic technicians conducting water resource investigations across the Pacific.

Travis worked for the Tulare County Public Works Department while earning registration as a Professional Engineer from the State of California(opens in new window). After leaving Chico he worked independently in what were recently reunified areas of the former East Germany. His work there included a term with the Thuringian Dams and Reservoirs Administration, conducting a large scale bioremediation project for a private consulting firm, and completing research for the German Federal Uranium Mining Remediation Consortium related to the environmental contamination potential of groundwater flooding of abandoned uranium mines.

Returning stateside in 2000, he spent eight years in a leadership role in the Civil, Environmental, and Coastal Engineering division of the consulting and research and development firm Oceanit(opens in new window) in Honolulu, Hawaii. In 2008, Mr. Hylton joined the federal service at Naval Facilities Engineering Command(opens in new window)(NAVFAC) Pacific at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. His initial assignments centered on7 development of the $1.3B "One-Guam" drinking water and wastewater solutions to bring Guam's water resources infrastructure up to date to support construction of a new US Marine Corps base on the island.

In 2015 Travis completed a three year tour as the drinking water program manager for NAVFAC Europe-Africa-Southwest Asia(opens in new window), ensuring Navy Fleets and families had reliable and safe drinking water from 25 systems across eight countries on three continents. From the middle of 2015 until the end of 2016 he served as an Enterprise Action Officer in the NAVFAC Pacific(opens in new window)'s Operations Department, overseeing facilities sustainment and modernization programs across the Pacific with an annual budget of $250M.

Travis holds several water resources engineering professional certifications, and is a founding Diplomate of the American Academy of Water Resources Engineers(opens in new window).

"Engineering has been the foundation of my career, but being able to apply economics to the equation has proven critical time after time.” Mr. Hylton stated in a recent email. “You've got to be able to do your market analysis and articulate the value proposition to the client, whether that be return on investment or comparing net present values of alternative solutions, or else the project will never get the green light. Society needs sustainable solutions, and those solutions won't be socially viable unless they can be shown to be environmentally and economically sustainable." (Last Updated 12/20/18)

Portrait of Travis Hylton