Washington, D.C. - Stephen Graham, an instrumental member of Howard University’s administration, will conclude his service as senior vice president and chief financial officer on June 21, 2024. He will join William Penn Charter School in Philadelphia as its chief financial officer. 

Graham joined Howard in October 2021, diligently working to stabilize and strengthen the University’s financial operations. He has also helped strategize the fiscal priorities of the Howard Forward strategic plan.  Graham’s efforts to achieve greater financial sustainability includes securing $500 million of bond funds to invest in Howard’s academic infrastructure and managing the University’s endowment, which reached $1 billion - a first for any historically Black college or university.  

“It has been an honor to serve Howard University over the past three years and I am proud of the accomplishments of the finance team during my tenure,” Graham said. “The next step in my career will bring me closer to home and family, but I will always support Howard University, its community, and its mission.” 

Prior to joining Howard, Graham served as chief financial officer at Seton Hall University in South Orange, N.J. for 10 years. He has previously served as assistant vice president for internal audit, followed by an appointment as vice president for budget and planning at Pace University in Briarcliff, N.Y.  Graham also worked in the private sector as a senior associate at PricewaterhouseCoopers, LLP, in Philadelphia, and as a manager at the Siegfried Group, LLP, in Wilmington, Del.  Graham also served as an internal audit specialist for five years at the University of Pennsylvania. He received a bachelor’s degree in business administration and his MBA from Drexel University. 

“Graham has provided stellar leadership and oversight of Howard’s financial management,” Howard University President Ben Vinson III, Ph.D. shared in a letter to the campus community. “His experience and stewardship over investment management for Howard’s endowment, pension, debt management, capital planning and Howard University Hospital’s financial management has been nothing short of exceptional.”