The Board of Trustees has embarked on a comprehensive engagement plan to expand the number of ways alumni can become involved with the University. These new opportunities encourage participation and create more leadership roles through three separate board initiatives.

“The Board of Visitors, the Trustee Candidate Identification Advisory Council (TCIAC), and the Alumni Leadership Academy are all important initiatives launched by the Board of Trustees,” says Trustee Chairman Laurence C. Morse. "We are providing meaningful opportunities for the community to engage with the Board and contribute to the ongoing success of Howard University.” 

Board of Visitors

The Board of Visitors is a voluntary advisory board that provides powerful opportunities for alumni and friends of the University to work closely with academic leadership. The Boards of Visitors provide expertise and advisement in support of the University's mission by working closely with the deans of each school and college. Trustee Marie C. Johns leads the initiative.  

The secretary's office recently hired a new director of strategic operations for the Board of Visitors, Lakia Young.  She will guide the advisory board for Howard University alumni and friends who are active or would like to be involved with the Board of Visitors. "Each school and college will now have its own Board of Visitors," says Christie L. Taylor, secretary of the Board of Trustees. "The goal is to bring alumni and friends of the University together to expand opportunities and resources to each college.” 

To learn more about how to get involved with the Board of Visitors, please email os@howard.edu.

Trustee Candidate Identification Advisory Council

In December 2021, the Board of Trustees announced the establishment of the TCIAC on The Dig, to create another avenue for recruiting future members to the Board of Trustees and other leadership opportunities, such as the Board of Visitors, via the governance committee. There are nine members of the TCIAC, representing former trustees, alumni across different decades and geographies, the Howard University Alumni Association (HUAA) officers, and faculty. The chair of the governance committee and the secretary of the board serve on the TCIAC in ex-officio roles.

According to Bennie Wiley, Chair of the TCIAC and Trustee Emerita, the Board of Trustees established the TCIAC to expand the pool of candidates who can serve as future Board members and to engage the Howard community in the process.  “We are looking forward to getting alumni involved with Howard no matter where they live in the world,” she said.  The TCIAC encourages members of the University community to submit nominations.  Candidates who meet the criteria established by the Governance Committee will be interviewed and may be forwarded to the Governance Committee for consideration as Trustees.  All candidates will remain in the pool for at least five years for future consideration. Through the candidate identification process, the TCIAC may also identify alumni to recommend to the Board of Visitors or to the Leadership Academy.

To submit a nomination of a potential trustee to the TCIAC, please email os@howard.edu. To learn more about the TCIAC, by visiting our website.

Alumni Leadership Academy

The Board of Trustees created the Alumni Leadership Academy as another strategic pathway to prepare interested alumni for leadership roles at Howard in their communities and foster more leadership opportunities for Howard University faculty, staff, and alumni. Trustee Danette Howard leads the initiative.   

The Alumni Leadership Academy will provide strategic opportunities for interested graduates to engage with the Board of Trustees. All alumni will be invited to apply for the Academy. Those selected will engage in sessions led by trustees and other experts in leadership development on various topics such as servant leadership, identifying individual leadership style, building productive teams, and serving on non-profit and corporate boards. "Each leadership session will provide an accurate and transparent view of what is involved in being a strategic leader within the Howard University community. We want to take a holistic perspective, which may incorporate both academic and non-academic (corporate and public leadership) viewpoints," says Anthony K. Wutoh, PhD, RhD, provost and Chief Academic Officer. The Alumni Leadership Academy and new Faculty Leadership Institute are based upon the University's successful Chairs and Student Leadership Academies. Additional information will be shared in early 2023.

To learn more about the Leadership Academy, please email os@howard.edu.

These three initiatives are the first of many that the Board of Trustees is exploring and implementing to engage more alumni in leadership roles at the University. The Board of Trustee members are comprised mainly of alumni, which is a composition ratio it aims to continue. Alumni input continues to be a significant priority for the Board of Trustees governance process. To learn more about the Board of Trustees and their initiatives, please visit

https://secretary.howard.edu/board-trustees.