Officials named Lionel Howard as the interim dean of the Graduate School of Education and Human Development Friday, according to a University release.
Howard, an academic dean at GSEHD and an associate professor of educational research, will enter the role on July 1, according to a University release. Howard is assuming the role after Dean Michael Feuer announced in February that he would step down from his post on July 1 and return to the school’s faculty to focus on the Forum on Democracy and Education, a project aimed at integrating civics into education.
“GSEHD is a very special school with exceptional faculty, staff, students and alumni who contribute greatly to the field of education and human development,” Howard said in the release. “I look forward to continuing my service to GSEHD as the interim dean and leading our community forward during this period of transition.”
His administrative experience includes representing the school on University-wide committees, managing faculty and staff affairs and serving on the school’s leadership team, where he advised the Dean on academic matters, according to the release.
“Given Dr. Howard’s long tenure in GSEHD and his proven track record of success as an administrator and scholar, I am confident in his ability to lead colleagues and students during this interim period,” Provost Christopher Bracey said in the release.
Howard began his career as a mathematical statistician for the U.S. Census Bureau from 1998 to 2000 and served as Coordinator of Academic Support Services at Suffolk University from 2003 to 2004. He then became a postdoctoral researcher at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill from 2006 to 2009, prior to joining the University in 2009, according to his LinkedIn profile.
Howard has a doctorate and a master’s in education from Harvard University, a master’s degree in measurement, statistics and evaluation from the University of Maryland and a bachelor’s degree in applied mathematics from William Paterson University of New Jersey, according to the release.
“Having learned from and partnered with Dr. Howard for more than a decade, I am more than pleased that Provost Bracey has asked him to serve as interim dean,” Feuer said in the release. “Dr. Howard has the knowledge, skills, disposition, and international reputation to lead our great school in its next chapter.”
Howard’s research primarily focuses on racial and gender identity development, socialization, learning, academic achievement, and motivation. Howard has worked as a consultant on education policy and evaluation studies and has worked for several projects aimed at improving education outcomes for black students and other marginalized groups, according to the release.
Howard’s work has been published in multiple journals, like Teaching in Higher Education, the Journal of Black Psychology and the Journal of Orthopsychiatry, according to his faculty profile. His work has also been supported by both the National Institutes of Health and the National Science Foundation, according to the release.
Howard is the co-editor of the third edition of the book “Facing Racism in Education,” and is currently completing a manuscript on social and emotional learning and development for black boys, according to the release.
