WASHINGTON - (November 13, 2019) Today, Howard University announced the election of new members to the board of trustees: Hilary Rosen, general trustee; Chris Washington, alumni trustee; Travis Randle, graduate student trustee; and Marquis Taylor, undergraduate student trustee.

“We are excited to have these dynamic leaders bring their skills and passion to the Howard University board of trustees,” said Wayne A. I. Frederick, M.D., MBA, president of Howard University. “Their experience in their respective areas of public policy, marketing and business will complement the existing team as we continue to move the institution forward.”

“Each of these professionals brings a wealth of business acumen to the table which will further enhance the existing board,” said Stacey J. Mobley, Esq., Chairman of the Howard University Board of Trustees. “I look forward to working with them to continue our work to uphold the Howard University mission and brand.”

Travis Randle, a native of Chicago, Illinois, is a third-year law student at Howard University School of Law. During his matriculation, Randle has interned with in- house counsel offices at Citizens Bank in Jersey City, New Jersey; and Broadcast Music Inc. (BMI) in New York. Prior to law school, Randle worked as an account manager at the Clinton Global Initiative and as a program coordinator at the University of Chicago's Office of Alumni Relations and Development. After graduation, he will join the Richmond office of Hunton Andrews Kurth as an associate in the Environmental Law group.

Randle has a Master of Public Policy from the University of Chicago and a Bachelor of Arts in political science/international relations from Morehouse College in Atlanta. While at Morehouse, he served as the 80th Student Government president and as a student trustee.

Hilary Rosen is a partner at SKDKnickerbocker and is a well-known political and media strategist and on-air CNN analyst. She is a co-founder of the TIME’S UP Legal Defense Fund, the organization created in January 2018 by women in the entertainment industry to help survivors of sexual harassment in the workplace.

Rosen formerly served as chairman and CEO of the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA), the leading trade association of America’s record companies, where she helped drive the industry’s transition to a digital marketplace. After leaving RIAA in 2003, she helped to launch the Washington, D.C. bureau of the Huffingpost.com as political director and editor-at-large for two years. She also consulted for several tech and media companies with projects at Facebook, Showtime Networks, MTV and Apple Inc. Prior to CNN, she was a political and business commentator at CNBC and MSNBC.  

She previously worked as chief of staff for Sen. Dianne Feinstein, D-CA, as well as assistant to New Jersey Governor Brendan Byrne and has been an adviser to many elected officials over the years. Rosen started her career at Liz Robbins Associates.

At SKDKnickerbocker, the award-winning public affairs agency, she specializes in high-profile clients and issues that need assistance for a variety of complex public affairs challenges, such as creating and executing large-scale campaigns, reputation management and crisis communications. Her ability to lead issue campaigns in Washington is profiled in the book “Pennsylvania Avenue: Profiles in Backroom Power” by The Wall Street Journal and New York Times reporters Gerald Seib and John Harwood. Throughout her career, Rosen has regularly been featured on power lists in a variety of sectors, including The New York Post’s Ladies Who Launch Entertainment Trends, Entertainment Weekly’s Annual Power List, The Hollywood Reporter’s Power 50 Women and The Washington Post’s Power 20. 

She is the founder of Business Forward, the progressive network of leaders seeking change in Washington, and Rock the Vote, Rap the Vote, and the Hip-Hop Coalition Action Network, all organizations credited with increasing voter education and turnout among young people and people of color. She currently serves on the board of directors of TIME’S UP, the Center for American Progress Action Fund and LPAC, an organization whose mission is to build the political voice of LGBTA women.

Rosen has a Bachelor of Business Science in international business from George Washington University and lives in Washington, D.C.

Marquis Taylor is a senior history major with a double minor in sociology and political science. He was selected to participate in Howard’s inaugural class of the Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellowship Program (2018), a partnership with The Andrew W. Mellon Foundation to build diversity in higher education faculty. Taylor plans to pursue a Ph.D. program that will allow him to provide a nuanced analysis of African American social, civil and philanthropic organizations from 1865-1940.

In the summer of 2018, Taylor participated in two archaeological field schools, in Milot, Haiti, and St. Croix, Virgin Islands as a University of California-HBCU Research Fellow. For the past year, he has served as an undergraduate research assistant on the National Endowment for the Humanities-approved Intra-American Slave Trade database with the University of California-Santa Cruz. This past summer, he had the distinct pleasure of serving as a summer research assistant for Dr. Leslie Harris, professor of history at Northwestern University.

During the 2018-2019 academic school year, Taylor served as president of the College of Arts and Sciences (COAS) Student Council, where he represented and advocated on behalf of nearly 2,700 students and managed a fiscal budget of $330,000. As COAS president, Taylor worked with the Office of Student Life and Activities, and the COAS Dean's Office to procure funds to support 15 students traveling abroad. Taylor is a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity Inc.,

Beta Chapter; the 1867 Undergraduate Assistantship Program, through Howard's

Office of Development and Alumni Relations; and the Freshman Leadership Academy. Upon completion of his education, Taylor’s ultimate goal is to lead a major cultural institution or university.

Chris Washington is a veteran entertainment and marketing specialist with more than 25 years of experience and an emphasis in grassroots brand marketing. 

Creating and executing marketing and social media initiatives for target constituents in key markets, Washington has worked on platinum campaigns for artists such as Brandy, Sean Paul, T.I. and Craig David. Working with senior management at Atlantic Records, VP and Capitol Records on strategy, positioning, identity and messaging, he helped build brand loyalty and integrated marketing projects. A 360-degree collegiate marketing strategist, Washington developed and implemented a college rep program by recruiting, managing and mentoring over 150 nationwide youth influencers. Washington has been featured as a guest speaker, lecturer and panelist on a variety of subjects.

As a professional DJ, “the Legendary Chris Washington” is a worldwide brand. His Legend’s Lounge Radio Show can be heard Monday – Thursday from noon to 1 p.m. on www.rhythmandsoulradio.com and on Cumulus Radio New York imprint, Radio 103.9FM. A former master mixer on New York City’s WBLS-FM, he has been a fixture in the entertainment scene for the last 25 years, playing for a variety of events and clients.

Washington has been profiled in The Washington Post (October 2010) and New York Amsterdam News (July 2008); appeared as a guest DJ on Fox 5 Good Day New York (October 2009); and was featured in the PBS (New York) series Baseball: A New York Love Story, which aired in September 2010.

Washington is a 1992 graduate of Howard University’s School of Communications (Broadcast Journalism). A faithful son of Howard, he is the former president of the Howard University Alumni Association (2012-2016). He also served as the HUAA vice president of membership (2010-2012), overseeing a 29 percent increase in membership, and as the Region I chair (Northeast United States, Africa and Europe) (2008-2010), where he won the 2010 HUAA award for Region of The Year. As president of the Howard University Alumni Club of New York City, he led HUAC NYC to win the HUAA Outstanding Club of the Year Award in 2008 and 2009. In 2011, he was named the Mid-Eastern Athletic Conference Distinguished Alumni Award Winner for Howard University.

In April 2013, the Bronx Chapter of the NAACP presented Washington with a Community Leader Award. 

In spring 2016, he was hired as the baseball coach at La Salle Academy in New York City. Under his leadership, he has led the varsity team to the CHSAA (Catholic High School Athletic Association) 2017 “A” division championship and the junior varsity team won back-to-back titles in 2016 and 2017. In the process, he has produced four CHSAA All-Stars and two Mayor’s Cup Selections. In August 2017, he was named head coach of the La Salle Varsity soccer team and currently serves as the school’s assistant athletics director and the director of academic support.

The native New Yorker currently resides in Mt. Vernon, New York, with his wife, Mitzi Ambrose-Washington (B.A. ’93), and he has two children, Caleb, 28, and Morgan Christina, 7.  

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Media inquiries contact:

Alonda Thomas, Howard University, alonda.thomas@howard.edu

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 four Rhodes Scholars, nine Truman Scholars, two Marshall Scholars, one Schwarzman Scholar, over 60 Fulbright Scholars and 22 Pickering Fellows. 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.