Search Committee

The Presidential Search Committee is made up of a diverse group of individuals including members of the Board of Trustees, faculty, alumni, staff, and students. The Chairman of the Board of Trustees Barry Rand in accordance with University Bylaws appointed the Presidential Search Committee. The sixteen (16) member committee will consist of the following individuals:

General Colin L. Powell, USA (Ret), Co-Chair - General Powell is the Founder of the Colin Powell Center for Policy Studies at his alma mater, the City College of New York and Founding Chairman of the America's Promise Alliance.  He is the former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, a position he held from 1989 until his retirement in 1993.  He received international recognition as one of the architects of the successful 1991 Gulf War against Iraq.  General Powell was appointed US Secretary of State, the first African-American to hold this office, by President George W. Bush in 2001. He earned a BA degree from the City College of New York and an MBA degree from George Washington University.  Following his 35 years of Army service, he became a best-selling author.  His memoir, entitled My American Journey, was published in September 1995. General Powell has received numerous US military awards and decorations including the Presidential Medal of Freedom, Defense Distinguished Service Medal, Army Distinguished Service Medal, Defense Superior Service Medial, Legion of Merit, Soldier's Medal, Bronze Star, and the Purple Heart.

Richard D. Parsons, Esq., Co-Chair - Mr. Parsons is Chairman and Chief Executive Officer, Time Warner Inc., New York City. Institutional Investor magazine named him the top CEO in the entertainment industry in 2005. He is the former Chairman and CEO of Dime Bancorp, Inc. He has held various positions in state and federal government, including First Assistant Counsel to Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, and General Counsel and Associate Director of the White House Domestic Counsel under President Gerald R. Ford. In 1998, he received a congressional appointment to serve on the Advisory Commission on Electronic Commerce. In May 2001, he was appointed by President George W. Bush as Co-Chairman of the President's Commission to Strengthen Social Security. His undergraduate education was at the University of Hawaii and his legal training at Union University Albany School of Law, where he was valedictorian. He is the Chairman of the Apollo Theater Foundation, Co-Chair of the Smithsonian Museum of African-American culture and history, and also serves on the boards of Citigroup, the Estee Lauder Companies, the Museum of Modern Art, and the American Museum of Natural History. In May 2006, he received the prestigious Steven J. Ross Humanitarian Award from the Jewish Appeal Federation of New York.

Addison Barry Rand - Mr. Rand assumed the  chairmanship of the Howard Board of Trustees on July 1, 2006. He is the former Chairman of the Board of Aspect Communications. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Equitant Inc., globalizing the Ireland-based company, and negotiating a successful merger with IBM in 2005. He is Chairman Emeritus of the Avis Group, where he transformed the $4.5 billion, Fortune 350 company into the world's leading service and information provider of comprehensive automotive transportation and vehicle management solutions, while serving as Chairman and CEO. He enjoyed an outstanding 30-year career with Xerox Corporation, completing his tenure as Executive Vice President of Worldwide Operations. He was responsible for $18 billion in revenue and is largely credited with Xerox's transformation into a sales and marketing powerhouse, winning two prestigious Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Awards and recognition as the "Best Sales Force in America." Currently he serves as a corporate director on the boards of Agilent Technologies and Campbell's Soup. He earned a BA degree and an MBA degree from American University, and a Master of Management Science degree from Stanford University as a Sloan Fellow. The recipient of several honorary degrees, he was inducted into the National Sales Hall of Fame, and is a recipient of a NAACP Image Award.

Dr. Charles L. Betsey - Dr. Betsey is a Graduate Professor of Economics at Howard University where he teaches graduate courses in labor and human resource economics and public finance, and undergraduate courses in labor economics and Black community development.  He served as Chairman of the Economics Department from 1990-1996, and Interim Chairman from 2003-2005.  He previously taught at the University of Massachusetts-Boston, the University of the District of Columbia, University of Maryland-College Park, and George Washington University.  He has served as an economist at various federal agencies, including the Office of Economic Opportunity, U.S. Department of Labor, and the Congressional Budget Office, and the United States Sentencing Commission.  He was Study Director at the National Research Council on a study of youth employment programs, and a consultant to various state and local agencies on issues of employment, business development, and equal opportunity.  Dr. Betsey's current research interests include economic behavior and creditworthiness; faculty and student outcomes at Historically Black Colleges and Universities; and the economic status of minorities.  He attended the University of Michigan-Ann Arbor, where he earned a B.A. degree in economics and Spanish Literature and a Ph.D. in economics.

Dr. Starmanda Bullock - Dr. Bullock is an artist, scholar, administrator, and consultant. She is a Professor of Art at Howard University, and has also served as Chair of the Department of Art, and Director of the Gallery of Art. She earned a B.F.A. degree from Howard. She did graduate studies at Brooklyn Institute of Arts and Sciences, and returned to Howard for an M.F.A. degree and a Ph.D. degree in history. She received a M.Ed. in Educational Administration from the University of Massachusetts at Amherst. Her extensive study tours included: Belgium; Denmark; France; Germany; Iceland; Italy; Luxembourg; the Netherlands; Spain; Sweden; Switzerland; the Middle East, West Africa; South Africa; and the Caribbean. She received the Max Beckman Grant, and grants under the Faculty Research Program in the Social Sciences, Humanities, and Education, as well as several other awards in printmaking, painting, and graphic design. She is listed in numerous biographical editions of national and international directories. Two of her prestigious honors for design are the Benny Award from the Printing Industries of America, Inc. for the H. Patrick Swygert Inauguration and the Award of Excellence in Print from the Printing and Graphic Communications Association for the Howard University Magazine featuring the African Burial Ground Project.

Mr. Earl G. Graves, Sr. - Mr. Graves is Chairman and Publisher of Earl G. Graves, Ltd., and founder and publisher of Black Enterprise, in New York City. He also served as Chairman and CEO of Pepsi-Cola of Washington, DC, L.P., at the time the largest minority-controlled Pepsi-Cola franchise in the United States. He serves on the boards of directors of: Aetna Life and Casualty Company; AMR Corporation (American Airlines); and DaimlerChrysler AG Corporation. He is also Chairman of the Pepsi-Co African American Advisory Board. Additionally, he is a volunteer on the boards of TransAfrica, Inc., and the American Museum of Natural History and Planetarium. Long active in Scouting, Mr. Graves currently serves as a Vice President of the National Executive Board and is also a member of the Marketing Committee for the National Office of the Boy Scouts of America. He received a B.A. degree from Morgan State University, and has received honorary degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities across the US and abroad, including his alma mater. In 1995, Morgan State renamed its business school, The Earl G. Graves School of Business and Management. In 1999, he was awarded the 84th NAACP Spingarn Medal, the highest achievement award for African Americans. In January 2006, he was immortalized in wax as ExxonMobil commissioned a likeness of him to be exhibited in the National Great Blacks in Wax Museum in Baltimore, Maryland. In August 2006, he received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the National Association of Black Journalists (NABJ) for his contributions to the field of journalism and the publishing industry. On April 26th 2007, Mr. Graves was inducted into the Junior Achievement Worldwide US Business Hall of Fame for his outstanding contributions to free enterprise and to society.

Mrs. Marie C. Johns - Mrs. Johns is Managing Member of L & L Consulting, LLC, and the retired President of Verizon, Washington where she was responsible for the company's $700 million operations. She was a Mayoral Candidate in the District of Columbia 2006 Democratic Primary.  She received her B.S. and M.P.A. degrees from Indiana University, and is an active volunteer particularly in the areas of education and economic development. She is also a member of the boards of directors for several not-for-profit organizations. The recipient of over 100 business and civic awards, she is the Founding Chair of the Washington, DC Technology Council, and Chair of the Board of the Howard University Middle School of Mathematics and Science. Some of her past posts include: Chair of the YMCA of Metropolitan Washington Board of Directors; Chair of the DC Chamber of Commerce; and Chair of Leadership Washington. She is a member of the Senior Board of Stewards of the Metropolitan African Methodist Episcopal Church.

Vernon E. Jordan Jr., Esq. - Mr. Jordan is Senior Managing Director of Lazard Freres & Co., LLC, New York, and Senior Counsel in the law firm of Akin Gump Strauss Hauer & Feld, LLP, in Washington, DC. He earned a B.A. degree from DePauw University and a J.D. degree from Howard University School of Law. He was Chairman of the Clinton Presidential Transition Team, and is both a former President of the National Urban League and former Executive Director of the United Negro College Fund. His directorships include: Lazard Ltd; American Express Company; Asbury Automotive Group, Inc.; Xerox Corporation; and LBJ Foundation.  He is a member of the Arkansas Bar, District of Columbia Bar, Georgia State Bar, US Supreme Court Bar, American Bar Association, National Bar Association, American Law Institute, Council on Foreign Relations, and the Trilateral Commission, among others. He holds honorary degrees from more than 60 colleges and universities in America and he is author of Vernon Can Read!  A Memoir (Public Affairs, 2001).  In 2007, his portrait was unveiled in the Smithsonian National Portrait Gallery's Great Hall.

Honorable Jack F. Kemp - Mr. Kemp is the Chairman and Founder of Kemp Partners, Washington, DC. Kemp Partners is a strategic consulting firm providing clients with strategic counsel, relationship development, and marketing advice to accomplish business and policy objectives. Most recently, he served as co-director of Empower America, a public policy advocacy organization that he co-founded in 1993. He served as the US Secretary of Housing and Urban Development, represented New York for 18 years in the US House of Representatives, and was named Chairman of the National Commission on Economic Growth and Tax Reform. In 1996, he received the Republican Party nomination for Vice President of the United States. Before his election to Congress in 1970, he played 13 years as a professional football quarterback, and was captain of the San Diego Chargers and the Buffalo Bills, winning the American Football League Championship in 1964 and 1965, when he was named most valuable player. He was voted to the NCAA's 100 most influential athletes list.  He co-founded the AFL Players Association, and was elected five times as president. He serves on several boards of directors, including Oracle and Habitat for Humanity. He is on the Advisory Board for the UCLA School of Public Policy, and on the Toyota Diversity Advisory Board. In 2007, he was named, with former Congressman William H. Gray, Co-Chair of the Abraham Lincoln Bicentennial Cabinet, a group formed to plan educational, public, and legacy events to mark the 16th president's 200th birthday in 2009. His B.A. degree is from Occidental College.

Dr. LaSalle Leffall, Jr. - Dr. Leffall is the Charles R. Drew professor of Surgery, Howard University College of Medicine. In 1952, he received an M.D. degree from Howard University College of Medicine ranking first in his class.   His membership on Howard's faculty began in 1962 progressing to Professor and Chairman, Department of Surgery in 1970 - a position he held for 25 years. Having served as Visiting Professor and Guest Lecturer at more than 200 medical institutions in the U.S. and abroad, he has authored or coauthored more than 140 articles and book chapters. Now in his 46th year on the faculty, he has taught approximately 5000 medical students and helped train 270 general surgery residents. His professional life has been devoted to the study of cancer, particularly among African-Americans.  In 1979 as national president of the American Cancer Society, he launched a program on the challenge of cancer among Black Americans paying special attention to the increasing incidence and mortality of cancer in this population group and its implications for similar studies in other racial and ethnic minorities--the first program of this type in our nation addressing the problems of cancer health disparities.

He was the first African-American President of the following organizations: American Cancer Society, Society of Surgical Oncology, Society of Surgical Chairmen, Washington Academy of Surgery and the American College of Surgeons. He has received 13 honorary degrees from American universities and is an Honorary Fellow at the West African College of Surgeons, the International College of Surgeons, College of Surgeons of South Africa, the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Canada, the Deutsche Gesellschaft fuer Chirurgie (German Surgical Society), and the Royal College of Surgeons of England.

The LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr. Surgical Society was formed in 1995 and the Leffall Chair in Surgery was established in 1996.   He received the first Heritage award from the Society of Surgical Oncology in 2001.  The LaSalle D. Leffall, Jr., Komen Fellowship in Health Disparities was established by the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation in 2006. The Howard University Press published his memoirs, "No Boundaries- A Cancer Surgeon's Odyssey" in 2005. He was Chair of the Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Foundation from 2002-2007. Currently he is the Chair of the President's Cancer Panel, and C-Change (formerly the National Dialogue on Cancer)

The Hon. Isiah Leggett  - Mr. Leggett was elected to a four-year term as Montgomery County Executive in November, 2006.  Prior to that, he served on the County Council from 1986-2002, serving four terms as an At-Large member and as Council President three times. As a Councilmember, he also chaired the Council's Transportation and Environment Committee and served as a member of the Education Committee. He was appointed to serve on the Montgomery County Human Relations Commission in 1979 and 1981(now called the Human Rights Commission), chaired the Commission (from 1983-1986) and chaired the Commission's Hearing Panel on Employment Discrimination from 1982-1986.  Mr. Leggett holds four higher education degrees: Bachelor of Arts, Masters of Arts, Juris Doctorate, and Master of Laws-all with honors. He finished first in his class at Howard University Law School, graduating magna cum laude and held the third highest academic average in the law school's history. In 1977, he was selected as a White House Fellow, one of a select number of citizens nationwide for his exemplary civic, professional, and educational achievement. He served as a Professor of Law at the Howard University Law School from 1975 - 2006. He ran the day-to-day operations of the Law School as its Assistant Dean from 1979 - 1986.

Dr. Floretta Dukes McKenzie - Dr. McKenzie served as Chairwoman of the Howard Board of Trustees from May 2004 until June 2006, and was also Vice Chairwoman for ten years. She is Senior Advisor for The American Institutes for Research in Washington, DC, and the Founder and Chairwoman of The McKenzie Group, Inc., an educational consulting firm with special emphasis on urban education. She has a B.S. degree from D.C. Teachers College, an M.A. degree from Howard University, and an Ed D. degree from The George Washington University. She has served as: Superintendent and Chief State School Officer for the Washington, D.C. Public Schools; Deputy Commissioner in the U.S. Office of Education; Deputy Superintendent of the Montgomery County Public Schools, Maryland; and Assistant Deputy Superintendent for the Maryland State Department of Education. Also, she was a U.S. Delegate to UNESCO (United Nations Educational Scientific and Cultural Organization). Some of her other board memberships include: Marriott International, Inc.; Potomac Electric Power Company; American Association of School Administrators Leadership for Learning Foundation; Institute for Educational Leadership, Inc.; Harvard Graduate School of Education Urban Superintendents Program; the Johns Hopkins Leadership Development Program; National Geographic Society; the White House Historical Association; and Ameritas/Acacia Holding Company.

M. Kasim Reed, Esq. - Mr. Reed is a Partner with the international law firm, Holland & Knight LLP in Atlanta, Georgia, and a member of the Georgia General Assembly. After serving two terms as the State Representative for House District 52, he became one of the youngest members of the Georgia State Senate when he was elected in November, 2002. He currently serves as a member of the Senate Judiciary, Special Judiciary, Transportation, Ethics, Urban Affairs, and the State and Local Government Committees. Reed served as the Campaign Manager for Atlanta Mayor Shirley Franklin's successful effort to become the first female Mayor of the City of Atlanta. Following Mayor Franklin's election in November of 2001, she selected him to serve as Co-Chairman of the Shirley Franklin Transition Team. Reed also functioned as Chairman of the Search Committee responsible for selecting the Mayor's senior cabinet-level staff.  His civic and professional leadership have been recognized by local and national publications such as The Atlanta Journal Constitution, The New York Times, and The Washington Post, among others.  Reed earned both his B.A. and J.D. degrees from Howard University. Elected as the youngest General Trustee of Howard's Board of Trustees, he was also the first student to serve as both an Undergraduate and Graduate Student Trustee. In 2006, he was named a member of the Sunrise Bank of Atlanta's Board of Directors.  In addition, he serves as a Board Member of the Metropolitan Atlanta Arts Fund and the National Black Arts Festival.

James E. Silcott, AIA - Mr. Silcott is a commissioner on the Los Angeles California Area Planning Commission. The first African-American project architect for Los Angeles County and the University of California, he retired in 1985 to manage his real estate holdings. Some of his architectural projects for Los Angeles County include: the Martin Luther King Hospital, John Wesley Hospital, Hubert Humphrey Clinic, Inglewood Courts Building, Compton Courts Building, the first medical school, both clinical and basic sciences, at the University of California at Irvine, the Jules Stein Eye Clinic at UCLA, and the UCLA Boathouse at Marina Del Ray. He is also a board member for the Kennard Design Group, the largest black-owned architectural firm west of the Mississippi. In 2003, he received the Kresge Coca-Cola Award for philanthropy to Historically Black Colleges and Universities. In 2006, he was the Howard H. Mackey Lecturer celebrating the 95th anniversary of architecture education at Howard University. He received a Bachelor of Architecture from Howard in 1957, and served as a sergeant in the US Army.

Mr. Marcus Ware  - Mr. Ware is a Senior Finance major from Roanoke, Alabama. Currently, Marcus serves as the President of the Howard University Student Association. He is also the former President of the School of Business Student Council as well as the former Chairman of the Howard University Policy Board. During his time at Howard, Marcus has served as Treasurer of the Alabama Club, Head Usher for the Andrew Rankin Memorial Chapel, Public Relations Director for the School of Business Student Council, and as a Team Leader for the 21st Century Advantage Program. Marcus holds memberships in the Executive Leadership Honors Program, Student Ambassadors, Gentlemen of Drew Social Club, and Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., Beta Chapter. He is a past member of both the Howard University "Showtime" Marching Band and the Howard Gospel Choir. Outside of Howard, he has had the honor to work as a summer analyst for the investment banking firm Merrill Lynch. Along with all of this, Marcus is a Gates Millennium Scholar and a member of the board of the Gentlemen Scholars Program. He also mentors at Bruce Monroe Elementary School and has spent countless hours serving the community through service activities.

Mr. Larry Warren - Mr. Warren was named Chief Executive Officer of Howard University Hospital on August 1, 2007 after serving as its Interim Chief Executive Officer since October 2006. He retired from the University of Michigan in October 2005. Prior to retirement, the last ten years of Mr. Warren's 29 years at the University of Michigan were spent in the capacity of Chief Executive Officer of the University of Michigan Hospital. He graduated from Eastern Michigan University with a Bachelor's Degree in Business and a Master's Degree in Education Administration.

Dr. Ruth Simmons, Advisor - Dr. Simmons was sworn in as the 18th president of Brown University on July 3, 2001.  She also holds an appointment as professor in the Department of Comparative Literature and the Department of Africana Studies.  She was president of Smith College from 1995 until the time of her appointment at Brown.  Dr. Simmons received her Ph.D. in Romance Languages and Literatures from Harvard University; she is fluent in French and has written on the works of David Diop and Aime Cesaire.  She is a member of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, the American Philosophical Society, and the Council of Foreign Relations. She is the recipient of numerous awards and fellowships including the German DAAD and a Fulbright Fellowship to France.  She was selected as a Newsweek "person to watch" and as a Ms. Woman of the Year in 2002.  In 2001, Time magazine named her America's best college president.  She is an articulate spokesperson and writer, and has written and delivered papers or presentations on a wide array of educational and public policy issues, including institutional governance, foreign language study, diversity, liberal arts, science education, leadership and women in higher education.  As an academic leader, Dr. Simmons believes in the power of education to transform lives.  She champions the Brown University as a haven of reasoned debate with the responsibility to challenge students intellectually and prepare them to become informed, conscientious citizens.  She has spent her career advocating for a leadership role for higher education in the arena of national and global affairs.

Presidential Search Committee Office
1840-7th Street, NW
Room 209
Washington, DC 20001
202-865-8358 (office)
202-232-5284 (fax)
presidentialsearch@howard.edu

Artis G. Hampshire-Cowan, Esq., Staff Director
Mrs. Bernice C. Jones, Search Committee Coordinator

Alumni Listening Tour Dates

Past PSC Events

Press Releases

09/20/07 - Howard University Board of Trustees Names Presidential Search Committee

09/21/07 - Howard Board Retains Executive Search Firm To Conduct Presidential Search

Past Presidents of Howard University

Charles Boyton	1867
Byron Sunderland	1867-1869
Oliver Otis Howard	1869-1874
Edward P. Smith	1875-1876
William Patton	1877-1889
Jeremiah E. Rankin	1890-1903
John Gordon	1903-1906
Wilbur Thirkield	1906-1912
Stephen M. Newman	1912-1918
James S. Durkee	1918-1926
Modecai Wyatt Johnson	1926-1960
James Nabrit	1960-1969
James Cheek	1969-1989
Franklyn Jenifer	1990-1994
H. Patrick Swygert	1994-2008