Title: Northwest Optical Manager
Company: Astound Broadband
Location: Bothell, Washington, United States
Donald R. Houghton, northwest optical manager at Astound Broadband, has been recognized by Marquis Who’s Who Top Scientists for dedication, achievements, and leadership in fiber optics engineering.
Mr. Houghton has established himself as a distinguished expert in fiber optic communications, currently serving as the northwest optical manager at Astound Broadband. With over 25 years of experience in his profession, he oversees projects in Washington and collaborates with engineers across Washington, Oregon and California. His work focuses on fiber optic systems and networking, specifically involving dense wavelength division multiplexing along the West Coast. Mr. Houghton plays a crucial role in providing internet services to individual customers and supporting Fortune 500 companies that require the interconnection of their computer networks across different sites. Additionally, he designs, specifies, engineers and maintains fiber optic systems to manage information with circuits with a minimum capacity of 10 gigabits per second.
Having begun his career with his service in the United States Army from 1988 to 1993, Mr. Houghton gained valuable experience as a signals intelligence analyst and satellite communications specialist. This military background laid the foundation for his subsequent expertise in telecommunications in the civilian sector. After completing his service, Mr. Houghton joined Optical Dynamics in 1994 as the manager of the power systems division, contributing to power courses and computer networking technology with a specialization in power systems engineering.
In 1995, Mr. Houghton founded Advanced Concepts Inc., a computer consulting company where he served as the president and chief executive officer until 1997. Following this venture, he joined Brooks Fiber Communications, marking the beginning of his journey into fiber optics technology. Mr. Houghton’s tenure at Brooks Fiber Communications lasted two years before it became part of MCI WorldCom, where he served as a senior communications technician for Utah from 1997 to 1999.
Mr. Houghton’s career continued to evolve as he worked at Frontier Communications, which was acquired by Global Crossing. He remained with Global Crossing until it was bought by Level 3 Communications in 2014. During this time, he also taught telecommunications transport concepts at Seattle Central Community College in 2002. From 2014 to 2021, Mr. Houghton excelled as a network engineer at Rainier Connect before joining Astound Broadband as an optical engineer II in 2021.
Mr. Houghton’s educational background included training at the U.S. Army Intelligence School and U.S. Army Signal School, where he completed electronic intelligence interceptor analyst and signals intercept and analysis training from 1988 to 1989 and satellite communications repair and telecommunications training between 1991 and 1992. He also holds a teaching certificate from the state of Washington.
Beyond his professional achievements, Mr. Houghton has actively participated in civic organizations and political campaigns. He has served as a steering committee member for Reed Davis for U.S. Senate since 2004 and previously held leadership roles within the Pierce County Republican Party from 2011 to 2013. Mr. Houghton’s contributions also included being the Puget Sound regional chair for Clint Didier for U.S. Senate in 2010 and the campaign manager for Cofchin for Congress in 2006.
A well-regarded writer, Mr. Houghton has contributed to several publications. He has shared his thoughts through such venues as computer networking courses at Optical Dynamics and professional opinion posts on technology via LinkedIn.
Mr. Houghton has received several awards throughout his career, including the All-Star MVP Home Field Advantage Award from Astound Broadband in 2024. He attributes his success to his confidence and ability to analyze situations from multiple perspectives. Looking ahead, Mr. Houghton hopes to continue progressing in his field and advance into management roles within telecommunications while mentoring others to help them excel professionally. Additionally, he plans to become more involved in politics, leveraging his extensive experience and leadership skills to positively impact his community and beyond.
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