Hilton H. Howell Jr.

Notable work and positions

Gray Media (Gray Television) - Executive Chairman and CEO
Atlantic American Corporation - Chairman, President, and CEO

Biography

Hilton H. Howell Jr. is executive chairman and CEO of Gray Media, one of the largest television broadcasting companies in the United States, and chairman, president, and CEO of Atlantic American Corporation, an Atlanta-based insurance holding company. He earned a bachelor's degree in history in 1984 and a law degree cum laude in 1988 from Baylor University, and an MBA from the University of Texas at Austin's Graduate School of Business in 1989. He practiced law in Houston before his marriage to Robin Robinson, daughter of entrepreneur J. Mack Robinson, brought him into the family's insurance and broadcasting businesses. Howell joined Gray in 1993 and helped grow the company from a small regional broadcaster based in Albany, Georgia, into an owner of top-rated local television stations across 113 markets reaching approximately 36 percent of U.S. television households, through strategic acquisitions and mergers following the purchase of Gray Communication Systems in 1992. Gray Media, now headquartered in Atlanta, also owns video production companies including Raycom Sports, Tupelo Media Group, and PowerNation Studios. Howell has served as CEO of Atlantic American Corporation since 1995 and chairman since 2009. He was elected to a one-year term as chair of the Board of Regents of the University System of Georgia in 2001, having been appointed to the board in 1997 by then-Governor Zell Miller.

Career highlights

• Executive Chairman and CEO, Gray Media Grew the company from a small regional broadcaster into a top television station owner reaching approximately 36 percent of U.S. television households.
• Chairman, President, and CEO, Atlantic American Corporation Since 1995 (CEO) and 2009 (chairman).
• Chair, University System of Georgia Board of Regents 2001-2002.