T. Wayne Holcombe (’90)

TWayne Holcombe is a co-founder of Gradient Group, a Houston-based, civil engineering and planning firm he launched in 2016 with Stephanie Anderson. At Gradient, TWayne is a senior strategic leader who builds lasting public-sector partnerships and helps guide complex transportation programs from early planning through implementation. He is known for pairing rigorous engineering with a clear eye for people and safety. Over more than three decades, he has helped communities move better, faster, and safer — both in Texas and around the world.

TWayne entered the transportation profession early. While still in high school, he counted cars for the Texas A&M University System’s Texas Transportation Institute (TTI) Houston office. He stayed with TTI through college, put himself through school, then earned a Bachelor of Science in Civil Engineering Technology from the University of Houston in 1990. His career moved quickly after graduation. During his first decade, he managed transportation planning and traffic engineering projects across Texas. His work later expanded nationally and internationally. As North America Client Development Director for a major global engineering consulting firm, TWayne oversaw business development for 68 U.S. offices. Later serving as the firm’s Global Excellence Center Director, TWayne trained teams worldwide in fair and ethical management and business development. His sessions took him to Amsterdam, Amersfoort, and Noordwijk in the Netherlands; London; Toronto; and Makati in the Philippines.

Safety remains the cornerstone of TWayne’s technical work. In 2018, Texas Department of Transportation (TxDOT) Commissioner Laura Ryan appointed him as one of two consultants on the TxDOT Safety Advisory Council. He served alongside TxDOT Directors, Contractors, and Department of Public Safety (DPS) leadership to review and shape design procedures and policies supporting TxDOT’s “End the Street” safety mission. A steady force in the transportation industry, TWayne has held leadership roles across ACEC in Houston and at the state level. He joined the ACEC Texas State Legislative Committee and Public Policy Council in 2007. He later served on the ACEC Texas Board of Directors Executive Committee as vice chairman of membership (2018–2020), public relations (2020–2022), and business practices (2022–2024). In 2020, the ACEC Houston Governmental Affairs Committee elected him to a three-year term on the ACEC Houston Governmental Advisory Steering Committee.

TWayne’s impact has earned wide recognition. The International Women in Transportation Seminar (WTS) Houston Chapter named him the 2023 Honorable Ray LaHood Man of the Year for advancing women in the transportation industry. In 2024, he became the 19th inductee into the SMPS Houston Chapter Hall of Fame. The honor recognized his two sales and business-development training courses, “Value Based Sales” and “Ready, Set, Win Sales,” taught across the United States and internationally in Canada, Mexico, the United Kingdom, the Netherlands, and the Philippines. He currently serves as an elected Director for Harris County Municipal Utility District No. 322, a role he has held since 2018, and joined the University of Houston Cullen College of Engineering Executive Leadership Board of Directors in 2025.

TWayne credits his success to his faith and the support of his family. He and his wife, Karen, live in Cypress, Texas. They married in 1990 and have two adult children, Bri and Ethan.