Board of Trustees

The governance of The Howard University is vested in the Board of Trustees, which is responsible for controlling and directing the affairs, property, and interests of the University.  The Board of Trustees may exercise all powers and authorities conferred upon the University as set forth in the Act of Incorporation and as otherwise permitted by law. [Please refer to Act of Incorporation and The Howard University Bylaws of the Board of Trustees in the Governance Documents section for more information on the University's governance structure.]

Download Current Board of Trustee Roster

Howard University Board of Trustees Board Roster 2023 - 2024

Trustee Roster & Biographies

Laurence C. Morse, Ph.D. (BA '73)

Chair of Howard University Board of Trustees - Co-Founder and Managing Partner, Fairview Capital Partners , Class of 1973, Economics

Ben Vinson III, Ph.D.

Howard University President

Leslie D. Hale (BBA ’94)

Vice Chair of Howard University Board of Trustees - President and Chief Executive Officer, RLJ Lodging Trust (RLJ) , Class of 1994, Business Administration

Mark A. L. Mason (BBA ’91)

Vice Chair of Howard University Board of Trustees - Chief Financial Officer, Citigroup, Class of 1991, Business Administration

Minnie V. Baylor-Henry (BSP ’72)

President, B-Henry and Associates LLC, Class of 1972, Pharmacy

Richard Besser, MD

President & CEO of Robert Wood Johnson Foundation (RWJF)

Chris Carr

Former COO, Sweetgreen Inc.

Donald B. Christian (BBA ’90)

PricewaterhouseCoopers US East Region Advisory Leader, Class of 1990, Business Administration

Arne Duncan

Managing Partner at Emerson Collective

Nchacha Etta (MBA '02)

Senior Vice President and Chief Financial Officer, Omnicell, Inc., Class of 2002, Master of Business Administration

Godfrey Gill (BBA’89)

Managing Director Capital & Partner Solutions Group, Vista Equity Partners, Class of 1989, Business Administration

Michele V. Hagans (BS ’73, MS ’76, MDiv ’07, DMin ’13)

President and CEO, Fort Lincoln New Town Corporation, Class of 1973, 1976, 2007, 2013, Zoology, Engineering, Religious Studies, and Doctor of Ministry

Carla Hayden, PhD

14th Librarian of Congress, The Library of Congress

Danette G. Howard, Ph.D. (BA ‘97)

Director, Global Education Cummins, Inc. and Inaugural Executive in Residence at USC Race and Equity Center, University of Southern California , Class of 1997, Human Communication Studies

Marie C. Johns (Honorary degree ’13)

Chief Executive Officer, PPC-Leftwich, Class of 2013, Telecommunications, Business, Public Administration, and Doctor of Humane Letters

Marc S. Lampkin, J.D.

Shareholder Brownstein Hyatt Farber Shreck

Kevin E. Lofton

Lead Independent Director, Gilead

Depelsha McGruder (BA '94)

Chief Operating Officer & Treasurer of the Ford Foundation, Class of 1994, Broadcast Communications

James J. Murren

American Businessman, Crisis Response Specialist

Hilary Rosen

Public Affairs Executive and CNN Political Analyst

Shelley Stewart Jr.

Managing Partner, BottomLine Advisory, LLC

Bruce E. Thompson (BA '79)

President, Hospitality Development Company Group, Class of 1979, Economics

Christopher J. Tyson (BArch '98)

President, National Community Stabilization Trust, Class of 1998, Architecture

Chris Washington (BA ’92)

DJ & Grassroots Marketing Consultant, Asst. Athletic Director, and Varsity Coach, Class of 1992, Broadcast Journalism