Danette G. Howard (B.A. ‘97)

Biography

Danette G. Howard, Ph.D., a member since 2015, is the inaugural executive in residence at the USC Race and Equity Center, University of Southern California. Prior to her current appointment, Dr. Howard served as chief strategy officer and senior vice president, Lumina Foundation, the nation's largest private foundation focused solely on increasing student access and success in postsecondary education. In this capacity, Dr. Howard led the foundation's integrated approach to implementing its strategic priorities, including continued leadership of Lumina's state and federal policy work. Her previous position with Lumina was vice president for policy and mobilization where she had oversight of several of Lumina's key strategies to increase Americans' attainment of high-quality postsecondary degrees and credentials, including strategic work in both state and federal policy and the Foundation's growing national convening function. She also led the Foundation's efforts to mobilize and engage employers, metropolitan areas, higher education institutions, and other key actors with a stake in postsecondary attainment. Prior to joining Lumina, Dr. Howard served as secretary of higher education in Maryland, leading the state's postsecondary education coordinating agency, the Maryland Higher Education Commission. As secretary, she oversaw Maryland's statewide financial aid program, approved new academic programs and institutions seeking to operate in the state, and advised the governor and legislators on higher education policies and initiatives. A nationally regarded analyst and thought leader, Dr. Howard previously served as director of research and policy analysis at the Maryland Higher Education Commission. She also held positions as the assistant director of higher education policy at the Education Trust in Washington, D.C., as a researcher at the University of Maryland, College Park, and as a student affairs administrator and admissions counselor at the University of Maryland, Baltimore County. Dr. Howard earned her bachelor's degree, summa cum laude, from Howard University. She also received her master's degree from the Harvard University Graduate School of Education, and her Ph.D. in higher education policy from the University of Maryland, College Park. In 2015, she was honored for her outstanding success and national distinction in the fields of education and policy with Howard University's Distinguished Alumni Achievement Award. Dr. Howard served from 2015 to 2018 as an alumni trustee.