WASHINGTON – Howard University is pleased to announce Debra Bright, Ed.D., has been named associate vice president for student affairs. Bright will support the various units and initiatives within the Division of Student Affairs. 

“I am very excited to join the Division of Student Affairs at Howard University,” said Bright. “Howard students are some of the best and brightest; I look forward to supporting the student body and continuing Howard University’s commitment to providing the best educational experience possible.”

Bright has over 25 years of dedicated service to the field of higher education. Most recently, she served as associate dean of student affairs at Montgomery College, where she helped provide operational leadership for the student success unit, including counseling and advising, disability support services, first year experience, student support services/TRIO, veteran services, and the student health and wellness center for success. Additionally, she chaired the campus behavioral intervention team, and advocated for students experiencing academic and personal difficulty, and helped develop new programs such as The Mentoring Project for Women. She also chaired the President’s Advisory Committee on Equity and Inclusion, and the college’s Truth, Racial Healing and Transformation (TRHT) planning team. Her other roles at Montgomery College included director of articulation, transfer, and academic services, and adjunct instructor for the English department. Prior to her 14-year tenure at Montgomery College, she served as the director of admissions and student services for The George Washington University Graduate School of Education and Human Development where she provided leadership and oversight over the orientation, recruitment, and enrollment management operation for 30 graduate programs.

Bright is a current advisory board member for GW’s National Council for Education and Human Development, a gubernatorial appointee to the Maryland Public Broadcasting Commission, and co-chair of the Maryland Public Television Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) Advisory Council. A passionate advocate for equity and empowerment for women and girls, she completed a six-year term on the Steering Committee for the National Conference for College Women Student Leaders (NCCWSL) as well as a six-year term on the Montgomery County Commission for Women, including two years as commission president.  

In 2019, Bright was named one of Maryland’s Top 100 Women by The Daily Record. She is also the recipient of the Excellence in the Field award from the Maryland BIT Affinity Group and The George Washington University Black Alumni Association (GWBAA) IMPACT Award for her commitment to leadership, education and community service. She earned a Doctor of Education degree in higher education administration from The George Washington University, a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Syracuse University, and a Master of Education degree in administration, planning and social policy from Harvard University. 

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About Howard University

Founded in 1867, Howard University is a private, research university that is comprised of 14 schools and colleges. Students pursue more than 140 programs of study 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, 12 Truman Scholars, 25 Pickering Fellows and more than 165 Fulbright recipients. 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.