WASHINGTON – Howard University alumna, trustee and financial industry trailblazer Leslie D. Hale will serve as keynote speaker for the 2020 Charter Day Convocation on Friday, March 6 at 11 a.m. in Cramton Auditorium (processional begins at 10:30 a.m.). During the event, Trustee Hale will be awarded the President’s Medal of Achievement. The celebration is free and open to the public.

“We are honored to welcome home one of Howard’s most distinguished alumna from the worlds of business and real estate, Leslie Hale, as we embark on our 153rd Charter Day celebration,” said President Wayne A. I. Frederick. “Trustee Hale exemplifies Howard’s motto of truth and service through her career, navigating and championing inclusion for people of color in the top tier of the financial world.”

Trustee Hale is the president and chief executive officer of RLJ Lodging Trust, a leading hotel real estate investment trust. Since joining the organization in 2005, she has played a pivotal role in setting and executing the strategic vision at the firm and has held progressively senior-level roles during her tenure. She was appointed in 2007 to serve as chief financial officer, in 2016 she was elevated to chief operating officer and in 2018 she was named president and chief executive officer. She helped lead the successful initial public offering of RLJ Lodging Trust in 2011 and is a member of RLJ Lodging Trust’s board of directors.

In addition to RLJ Lodging Trust, Trustee Hale serves on the board of directors for Macy’s Inc. and has served since 2013 as a Howard University trustee. Other organizational memberships include the Marriott International National Association Advisory Board, the Nareit Advisory Board, the American Hotel and Lodging Association Executive Board and the Industry Real Estate Financing Advisory Council. Before joining RLJ Lodging Trust, Trustee Hale held senior positions at GE, working in the Commercial Finance Mergers and Acquisitions Group and the Real Estate Strategic Capital Group. She was also an investment banker with Goldman Sachs, advising on mergers, acquisitions and corporate finance. 

Trustee Hale earned a Bachelor of Business Administration degree with a concentration in finance from Howard University in 1994, graduating summa cum laude (Beta Gamma Sigma Honor Society) and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where she was a Goldman Sachs and Robert F. Toigo Fellow.

The March 6 Charter Day Convocation sets the stage for the following evening’s highly anticipated Charter Day Dinner. The annual black-tie gala is Howard’s premier fundraising event. This year, the proceeds from the dinner will support the Student Aid Campaign and its efforts to directly address the gaps that exist in financial aid for Howard students.

Howard University Charter Day Dinner tickets can be purchased by visiting www.howard.edu/charterday.

About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 13 schools and colleges. Students pursue studies in more than 120 areas leading to undergraduate, graduate and professional degrees. The University operates with a commitment to Excellence in Truth and Service and has produced one Schwarzman Scholar, three Marshall Scholars, four Rhodes Scholars, 11 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 70 Fulbright Scholars. Howard also produces more on-campus African American Ph.D. recipients than any other university in the United States. For more information on Howard University, visit www.howard.edu.

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Media Contact: Sholnn Freeman, sholnn.freeman@howard.edu