Vernon worked five summers in the Henderson and Jacksonville Maintenance offices while pursuing his civil engineering degree from the University of Texas at Austin. Upon graduation in May 1995, he started full time with TxDOT as an engineering assistant in the Palestine Area Office working in design and construction project management. Vernon left the Department in 1997 to work for a consultant engineering firm, but returned in 2001 to the Tyler Area Office where he served as a project manager, design leader, and Assistant Area Engineer. In 2003, he accepted the position of Athens Area Engineer, overseeing design, construction, and maintenance activities for Henderson and Anderson Counties. He returned to the Tyler Area Office as Area Engineer in 2006 overseeing design, construction, and maintenance activities for Smith and Cherokee Counties. In 2009, Vernon accepted the position of Director of Transportation, Planning and Development for the Tyler District helping deliver much-needed transportation improvement projects. Vernon was named Deputy District Engineer for the Tyler District in November 2016. As Deputy DE, he has worked closely with the MPO’s, NET RMA, the East Texas Rural Transportation Planning Organization, and numerous internal and external partners to help deliver transportation solutions for East Texas. Vernon was appointed as the Tyler District Engineer in September of 2020.

Vernon resides in Tyler with his wife of 26 years, Kenya, daughter Kaylee, and son Kyle, who currently works for the Fort Worth District as an Engineering Assistant. Vernon loves to hunt, fish, and spend time in the outdoors with family and friends.