Bio for Thomas K. Mattson, PE

Mr. Mattson is a licensed Civil Engineer in the State of California with a bachelor’s degree in Environmental Resource Engineering from Humboldt State University. He is currently the Director of Public Works for Humboldt County California. He has been with the County since February 1998, when he was hired as the Public Works Deputy Director in charge of the Road’s Division. In March 1998 Mr. Mattson experienced his first disaster management experience due to extensive flooding in the County. In 2005, he was promoted to Director of the Public Works Department. Humboldt County is a rural area that has 1,207 miles of county-maintained roads and 160 bridges within the 4,400 square mile county.
Mr. Mattson has managed numerous emergency response for Public Works including fires, floods, and earthquakes.
The Humboldt County Department of Public Works also has the responsibility for flood control, solid waste, transit funding, facilities, water management, land use development, county surveyor, environmental services, fleet services, fire safety, and manages the Integrated Water Management Plan for seven northern California counties.
In 2013, as President of the County Engineers Association of California he served on the Executive Committee of the Strategic Highway Safety Plan, representing all of California’s 58 Counties. Since 2014, he has been the County representative on the Steering Committee of the SHSP.
Mr. Mattson also served as the co-chair on the State Highway Safety Improvement Program Committee from 2016-2021 and now serves as a County alternate on this committee.
Mr. Mattson is currently the chair of the Cal-Poly Humboldt engineering advisory committee.