WASHINGTON—Howard University today announced Leslie D. Hale (BBA’94) as the new chair of Howard’s Board of Trustees. Chair Hale’s term began on June 6, 2025, following her election by the board.
“As we continue to build on Howard University’s enduring legacy and seek to strengthen Howard for a new generation, we look forward to partnering closely with Chair Hale as we continue to advance Howard’s mission and deepen our commitment to academic excellence, research innovation, and service to our community and the world.” said Howard University President Ben Vinson III, Ph.D.
Hale is an accomplished Howard University alumna and pioneering business leader. She began serving on the board in 2013 and served as vice chair since 2021 until her election as chair. Over the years, she has chaired the board’s Finance Committee, Facilities and Real Estate Subcommittee, Investment Subcommittee, and several other entities, such as the School of Divinity’s Board of Visitors and the Howard University Hospital Ad Hoc Committee of the Board.
“It is no exaggeration to say that Howard University has shaped the course of history, and it is certainly no exaggeration to say that this institution has profoundly shaped my life and career,” said Hale. “It is an honor and a privilege to continue my service to Howard as chair of the board, and I look forward to working with Howard’s world-class faculty, administrators, and students to uphold Howard’s legacy of excellence.”
Hale currently serves as the president and CEO of RLJ Lodging Trust, a leading hotel real estate investment trust that owns 96 hotels across the United States. Since joining RLJ in 2005, she has been instrumental in steering the company’s strategic direction, including leading the company’s initial public offering in 2011 and the landmark merger of two hospitality real estate investment trusts in 2017. She served as chief financial officer and later chief operating officer before assuming the position as CEO in 2018. Before RLJ, she held senior positions at GE and was an investment banker with Goldman Sachs & Co., advising on mergers, acquisitions, and corporate finance.
Hale graduated summa cum laude from Howard with a bachelor’s degree in business administration and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School as a Goldman Sachs and Toigo Fellow. She serves on the boards of directors of RLJ Lodging Trust and Delta Airlines Inc. and serves as chair of the Federal
Reserve Bank of Richmond’s Baltimore Branch. Her journey reflects Howard’s enduring legacy of developing visionary leaders who serve at the highest levels of industry and society.
Hale succeeds the immediate past chair, Laurence C. Morse, Ph.D. (B.A. ’73), who has retired from the Board of Trustees after 11 years of extraordinary service, including his tenure as chair from July 1, 2020 to June 6, 2025. His outstanding leadership and contributions to Howard University as an alum and his vision and stewardship as board chair have uplifted not only the institution and the entire community.
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About Howard University
Howard University, established in 1867, is a leading private research university based in Washington, D.C. Howard’s 14 schools and colleges offer 140 undergraduate, graduate, and professional degree programs and lead the nation in producing African Americans with professional doctoral degrees. Howard is the top-ranked historically Black college or university according to Forbes, the only HBCU with an R1 research institution designation, and the only HBCU ranked among U.S. News & World Report’s Top 100 National Universities. Renowned for its esteemed faculty, high achieving students, and commitment to excellence, leadership, truth and service, Howard produces distinguished alumni across all sectors, which have included the first Black U.S. Supreme Court justice and the first woman U.S. vice president; a Nobel Prize laureate; Schwarzman, Marshall, Rhodes and Truman Scholars; prestigious fellows; and over 170 Fulbright recipients. Learn more at www.howard.edu.
