Chris Howard
Dr. Christopher B. Howard, the 24th President of Hampden-Sydney College, is one of the youngest college presidents in the United States. Hampden-Sydney, a liberal arts college for men, has been in continuous operation since classes began in 1775 on its historic campus 60 miles southwest of Richmond, VA.
Dr. Howard is a distinguished graduate of the US Air Force Academy where he earned a BS in political science and received the Campbell Award (previously known as the Draddy Award), the highest academic award in the country presented to a senior football player. A Rhodes Scholar, he earned his Doctorate in politics at Oxford University and a MBA with distinction from the Harvard Business School.
Prior to his appointment as President of Hampden-Sydney College in 2009, Dr. Howard served as Vice President for Leadership & Strategic Initiatives at the University of Oklahoma where he also served as the Director of the Honors College Leadership Center and a President’s Associates Presidential Professor.
Dr. Howard was named a 2010 African-American Trailblazer in Virginia History by the Library of Virginia. He was featured in an Associated Press story published by The New York Times,The Boston Globe, the Washington Times, the Miami Herald, and the Philadelphia Inquirer,among numerous others. Dr. Howard was the subject of separate articles in the Richmond Times-Dispatch, The Dallas Morning News, and Diverse Issues in Higher Education. He was featured on NPR’s All Things Considered and interviewed on CNN, PBS, and PRI.
Currently he is:
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The Founder and Chairman of the Impact Young Lives Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides scholarship and travel opportunities for South African university students of color.
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A Senior Advisor on African Affairs at The Albright Stonebridge Group, an international advisory firm for Fortune 1000 companies.
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A member of the National Council of Advisors of the Center for the Study of the Presidency and Congress, a non-partisan, non-profit organization founded in 1965. The Center is the only organization that systematically examines past successes and failures of the Presidency and relates its findings to present challenges and opportunities.
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An Aspen Institute Henry Crown Fellow. The Aspen Institute fosters values-based leadership and provides a neutral and balanced venue to discuss and act on critical issues.
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A member of the Higher Education Working Group on Global Issues of the Council on Foreign Relations, an independent, nonpartisan membership organization, think tank, and publisher dedicated to being a resource for its members, government officials, business executives, journalists, educators and students, civic and religious leaders, and other interested citizens in order to help them better understand the world and the foreign policy choices facing the United States and other countries.
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The youngest member of the annual US News & World Report--Harvard University “America’s Best Leaders” selection committee.
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A member of the Committee on Policy Analysis and Public Relations of the National Association of Independent Colleges and Universities.
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A member of the Virginia Foundation for Independent Colleges.
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A graduate of the Harvard Seminar for New Presidents.
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A member of The Association of American Rhodes Scholars.
In areas related to business,
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Dr. Howard has co-authored a new book with David Snider, Money Makers: Inside the New World of Finance and Business.
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He is a member of the MOBO Systems Advisory Board and was formerly on the Board of Directors of Converge, an IT de-manufacturing firm.
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He served in General Electric’s Corporate Initiatives Group.
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He has worked in sales, marketing, international project management, strategic planning, internal consulting, and business development at Bristol-Myers Squibb.
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He has also served as the acting Managing Director of Endeavor South Africa, a global initiative that supports entrepreneurs in the developing world.
In the military,
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An Air Force Lieutenant Colonel, he was called to active duty during 2003 in Afghanistan where he was awarded a Bronze Star.
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He serves as the Reserve Air Attaché to Liberia.
He is married to the former Miss Barbara Noble from Johannesburg, South Africa, and has two sons: Cohen and Joshua.
