WASHINGTON - (October 23, 2018),  Today Howard University announced the following appointments to the Board of Trustees: Donald B. Christian, CPA, CISA; Jill B. Louis; and Julia Osagie.

“We are delighted to have such a dedicated group of leaders join the Howard University Board of Trustees,” said President Wayne A.I. Frederick, M.D. “The knowledge they will bring from their respective areas of business combined with their individual commitment to Howard and its legacy, will be welcome additions to the Board.”

Trustee Christian’s began his term on September 1, 2018 and will serve until June 30, 2021; Alumni Trustee Louis’ term commenced on July 1, 2018 and she will serve until June 30, 2021; and Undergraduate Student Trustee Osagie began her appointment on July 1, 2018 and will serve until June 30, 2019.

“Each of our new trustees has hit the ground running to complement the existing board through the additions of their expertise and skills. I look forward to working with these exemplary leaders to further enhance the mission and legacy of Howard University,” said BOT Chair Stacey J. Mobley, Esq.

Donald B. Christian is the advisory leader for PwC’s East Region, which includes the Northeast, Mid-Atlantic and Southeast markets.  He provides leadership and support to enable growth across the markets and clients in the region including owning and delivering services on key client relationships.  He collaborates across firm leadership on client strategy and supports PwC’s people strategy and diversity initiatives.

Christian has over 28 years of experience in professional services leading and growing businesses in the firm and consulting with clients in the areas of business transformation, strategy, technology consulting, business performance improvement and risk management. Christian has also been an active and engaged leader in the community and has previously served on the board of directors of the National Association of Black Accountants and the Boys and Girls Clubs of Greater Washington. He currently serves on the national board for INROADS, Inc. and on the board of visitors for the Howard University School of Business.

A Howard alumnus, Christian received a Bachelor of Business Administration, magna cum laude, from the School of Business in 1990, with a minor in information systems.  Christian has remained active with the Howard University School of Business the school of business by providing leadership and support to the administration, faculty and students, and he was honored by the Howard University School of Business in 2010 with an Alumni Achievement Award. As a student, he was the business manager of The Hilltop for two consecutive years; an active and engaged leader in Beta Alpha Psi, the international honor organization for accounting and finance, Beta Gamma Sigma, the academic honor society, the National Association of Black Accountants and the Caribbean Students Association.

Jill B. Louis is a partner at the global law firm of K&L Gates, advising multinational healthcare, franchise, retail and infrastructure corporations on governance and strategic transactions.  She was born on Howard's campus while her father was a medical intern at what was known as Howard's “Freedman’s Hospital.” Both her father, Peter Louis, and her sister, Erika Louis are proud Bison.

Prior to joining K&L Gates, Louis was the chief legal officer and secretary of FleetPride, a portfolio company of the private equity firm Texas Pacific Group (TPG). At FleetPride, Louis led the legal, security, environmental health, safety and communications functions for the company.  Previously, she was managing director, Commercial Transactions and Regulatory Compliance for FedEx Office and Print Services, Inc., a wholly owned operating company of FedEx Corporation. There, she led FedEx Office’s transactional, sourcing, intellectual property, regulatory and technology legal teams. She was awarded a Magna Stella as best AGC from the Texas General Counsel Forum and a FedEx Five Star Award, the highest performance award at FedEx companies.   

Her board experience includes serving as a board member of Thrivent Financial, Texas Region, the AT&T Performing Arts Center, and the executive board of the North Texas Public Broadcasting Company Station KERA. She has also served as a city commissioner on the Tax Increment Funding (TIF) Board for the Cedars area of Dallas.  She is an active member of The Links Incorporated, Dallas Chapter.  She received her Juris Doctorate from Harvard Law School and her Bachelor of Arts degree in broadcast journalism, magna cum laude, from Howard University in 1987.

Julia Osagie is a senior in the College of Arts and Sciences, a Capstone Scholar, and working towards obtaining two Bachelors of Science in economics and political science. She is a proud first-generation Nigerian, with a passion for public policy, economics, public health and service to underserved populations.

Osagie served as the director of Health and Wellness for the Howard University Student Association during the 2017-2018 school year, where she launched a successful sexual assault sticker campaign, coordinated the most successful blood drive in Howard University’s history to date, and served as an advocate for Title IX reform on campus. As a fellow with the Truth Initiative, Osagie helped develop Howard University’s tobacco-free policy and engaged the campus through innovative campaigns. She was featured in the documentary, Black Lives Black Lungs, to discuss the lethal relationship between the African-American community and the tobacco industry, and she engaged over 1,000 youth in speaking engagements across the country.  For four years, Osagie served as a summer intern for Florida State Representative Alan Williams, where she resolved a variety of constituent concerns related to social and financial services within the District, and successfully executed community engagement events.

Osagie is a proud Spring 2017 initiate of the International Fraternity of Delta Sigma Pi, Iota Rho Chapter, where she has been involved in community service initiatives on behalf of the chapter. Her dedication to service is demonstrated through her leadership in Howard University’s Alternative Spring Break Program as a site coordinator for the Third Ward of Houston, Texas. The week-long community service trip included educational activities about STEM, financial literacy, self-image, and college readiness- reaching more than 350 hurricane-affected youth.

###

(pictured top to bottom: Board of Trustees: Donald B. Christian, CPA, CISA; Jill B. Louis; and Julia Osagie - courtesy of Howard University)

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.

Media Contact: Alonda Thomas, Howard University, alonda.thomas@howard.edu