Leadership of the Office of the Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Provost & Chief Academic Officer
Dawn Williams, Ph.D.
Dawn Williams, Ph.D., is Interim Provost and Chief Academic Officer of Howard University. She also proudly serves as the Dean of the Howard University School of Education. Underlying all her work are premises that include the indoctrination of social justice through teaching, research, service, and professional development. With over two decades in the field, she has managed complex organizations; worked effectively with local, national, and international colleagues; secured and managed resources to support the institution’s strategic direction and vision; and built relationships with alumni, donors, school districts, and international academic communities.
Dr. Williams is author and co-author of approximately 30 articles and book chapters that focus on leadership, governance, and macro-educational policies targeted for urban school reform. From her leadership and research record, she has appeared on BET, CNN, and ABC networks. Over the past decade, she has been a recipient of several grants totaling approximately $3.3 million funded by the National Science Foundation. Her research in the STEM and educational policy arena is focused on issues of access and diversity while promoting a conscious social justice agenda.
Dr. Williams earned a Ph.D. and M.A. in Educational Policy Studies with dual residency in Educational Organization and Leadership from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. She holds a Bachelor of Science degree in Elementary Education from North Carolina Agricultural and Technical State University.
Associate and Assistant Provosts
Kenneth Anderson, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies
Dr. Kenneth Alonzo Anderson, Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies, earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum & Instruction, with a minor in Educational Research and Policy Analysis from North Carolina State University. While at Howard University, Anderson has served in multiple roles such as Department Chair and two Associate Deanships in the School of Education. Anderson holds a faculty appointment, at the rank of full professor, in the Department of Curriculum and Instruction. Anderson’s research employs statistics and data science for school improvement in areas such as school safety and education policy. Anderson has a strong history of school-university partnerships and has served as Principal Investigator, Co-Principal Investigator, or Senior Personnel on a host of externally funded projects. His work has been featured in peer-reviewed outlets such as the Journal of Teacher Education, Teachers College Record, Urban Education, and Teaching and Teacher Education. Anderson recently co-authored a policy brief on school safety and SROs and his research has appeared in popular press outlets such as NBC.com, Brookings Institution, The Root, and more.
Daphne Bernard, R.Ph.
Associate Provost for Institutional Accreditation & Assessment
Dr. Bernard oversees university and specialized program accreditation, assessment and institutional research for Howard University and oversees the Office of Institutional Research and Assessment (IRA). She also serves as the Middle States Commission on Higher Education Academic Liaison Officer for the university. Prior to being appointed as an Associate Provost, Dr. Bernard served as Interim Dean of the College of Pharmacy at Howard University where she is also an Associate Professor. With ten years as an academic administrator and twenty-one years as a faculty member, Dr. Bernard is considered a leader in academic assessment and accreditation with a commitment to academic excellence, continuous improvement and institutional effectiveness. Dr. Bernard received her Doctor of Pharmacy (Pharm.D.) degree from the Howard University College of Pharmacy. She was a fellow in the Academic Leadership Fellows Program of the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. As a licensed pharmacist in Maryland, Virginia and the District of Columbia, she continues to provide care to patients on anticoagulant therapy. She has been an invited presenter at numerous annual meetings including the Association of Institutional Research Annual Meeting, American Pharmacists Association Annual Meeting, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists Clinical Midyear Meeting, the Nonprescription Medicines Academy, and the American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy. Dr. Bernard is the immediate past Chair of the District of Columbia Board of Pharmacy where she was appointed by the mayor and served for seventeen years. She also served for three years as the District 2 Chair of the National Association of Boards of Pharmacy representing 8 state pharmacy boards and 28 schools and colleges of pharmacy.
Melanie Carter, Ph.D.
Associate Provost and Director of HBCU Center for Research
Dr. Melanie Carter is Associate Provost and Director of the Howard University HBCU Center for Research. Dr. Carter leads the collaborative initiative to develop comprehensive research on higher education institutions that serve people of color. Dr. Carter served previously as the University’s inaugural Associate Provost for Undergraduate Studies since January 2014. In this role, Dr. Carter provided strategic and visionary leadership to the Office of Undergraduate Studies (OUS). From 2007 – 2012, Dr. Carter served as Senior Associate Dean for Academic Programs and Student Affairs in the Howard University School of Education including one year as Acting Dean (2010-2011). Dr. Carter is an associate professor in the Department of Educational Leadership and Policy Studies. Her research focuses include the history of higher education institutions, specifically HBCUs and pre-desegregation Black professional organizations, the accreditation of HBCUs, race and social equity and justice issues that impact postsecondary access and opportunity and factors related to undergraduate academic success.
In 2001, Dr. Carter was awarded a prestigious Spencer Fellowship to serve as a Scholar-in-Residence at Emory University and in 2002 received the Henry C. McBay Research Fellowship from the United Negro College Fund. Dr. Carter has served as a peer reviewer for Southern Association of Colleges and Schools’ Commission on Colleges (SACSCOC) and currently serves as a peer reviewer for the Council for the Accreditation of Educator Preparation (CAEP) and the Middle States Commission on Higher Education (MSCHE). In the summer of 2019, Dr. Carter served as a Fulbright Specialist at the University of the Free State in Bloemfontein South Africa where she provided guidance in the development and implementation of a student academic success plan.
Prior to her appointment at Howard, Dr. Carter was a faculty member (1998-2007) and chair (2004-2006) in the Department of Educational Leadership at Clark Atlanta University. Having served at public and private institutions including The Ohio State University and Spelman College, she has more than 30 years of experience as an administrator in academic and student affairs leading and developing academic and academic support programs that foster student success and retention. She currently serves as co-principal investigator for a Lumina funded project, the HBCU Student Success Project: a three-year initiative to improve retention and degree completion and to decrease attainment gaps at three HBCUs.
Dr. Carter earned a B.A. in English Literature and Language from Ohio University, a M.A. in English Education from Atlanta University, and a Ph.D. in Educational Policy and Leadership from The Ohio State University. She is also a 2008 graduate of the HERS Higher Education Leadership Institute at Bryn Mawr College.
Okianer Christian Dark, JD
Associate Provost for Faculty Development
Okianer Christian Dark is the Associate Provost for Faculty Development and Professor of Law at Howard University in Washington, D.C. In her role as Associate Provost, she established the Office of Faculty Development (OFD) in 2015 to provide oversight of and programming for the ongoing professional development of faculty at all ranks throughout the University and in all 13 Schools and Colleges. At Howard Law School, she has also served as the Associate Dean for Academic Affairs and the Interim Dean of the School of Law. At Howard Law, she specializes in Torts, Products Liability, and Health Law. She was formerly a full Professor of Law at the University of Richmond School of Law in Richmond, VA for over 10 years where she specialized in Antitrust, Torts and Women and the Law. Also, she is widely regarded as an expert in Fair Housing Law because of her personal experience with housing discrimination. Her research primarily focuses on the use of Tort Law to address issues that impact marginalized communities. Associate Provost Dark is experienced litigator. Associate Provost Dark actively volunteers in the community where she lives and works. Presently, she is serving as Vice Chair of the Montgomery County Commission on Human Rights, Liaison to the Montgomery County Commission on Remembrance and Reconciliation and Chair of the Domestic Violence Conference for her church, Peoples Community Baptist Church, Silver Spring, MD. She received her B.A. magna cum laude from Upsala College, East Orange, NJ and her J.D. from Rutgers University School of Law in Newark, New Jersey. In November 2018, she received the Distinguished Alumni Award from Rutgers University School of Law. She is a member of the Pennsylvania and New Jersey Bars.
Angela Cole-Dixon, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Academic Affairs
Angela P. Cole Dixon, Ph.D. is Associate Provost for Academic Affairs and Professor of Psychology at Howard University. . In her role as Associate Provost, she is responsible for guiding academic planning, program review and development efforts; ongoing review and development of academic policy and administrative procedures, with specific emphasis in academic and student affairs; and providing direction and guidance in the area of faculty affairs. A proud Howard and Stanford alumna, Dr. Angela Cole Dixon joined the Howard University Department of Psychology faculty in 2001, studying cognitive and social factors that impact decision making, teaching undergraduate and graduate statistics and methodology courses, and chairing the department from 2014-2017.
Barron Harvey, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Academic Innovation & Strategic Initiatives
Dr. Harvey serves as Associate Provost for Academic Innovation and Strategic Initiatives. His portfolio includes, New Academic Program Approval Review, Online Programs and Strategy, Strategic Partnerships and Innovation Projects and Programs. Dr. Harvey previously served as Endowed Professor of Accounting and Dean of the Howard University School of Business. Dr. Harvey served as head of the School of Business for 26 years. Under his distinguished leadership the Howard University School of Business continued to make strides in its ongoing quest to maintain excellence in its academic programs. In addition, to this prestigious position, Dr. Harvey is a tenured member of the faculty and has served as a full professor in the Department of Accounting for over 25 years. In fall 2007, Dr. Harvey became the first endowed professor in the School of Business when he was named Frank Ross/KPMG Endowed Professor in Accounting. He has twice been named “Educator of the Year” by the National Association of Black Accountants Inc. (NABA). During his academic career he has held numerous other administrative positions at the University, including Director of Graduate Programs, Departmental Chairperson, and Interim Dean. Additionally, he held other faculty appointments at the University of Nebraska, University of Miami and Georgetown University. Dr. Harvey earned an MBA degree in Accounting in 1975 and a Ph.D. degree in Organizational Behavior and Management Theory in 1977, both degrees from the University of Nebraska-Lincoln. He is a Certified Public Accountant, holding certifications with the District of Columbia and the State of Maryland. Currently, Dr. Harvey serves on numerous boards and committees including the Board of Directors of AACSB-International. He previously served as Chairman of the Board for the Fort Washington Hospital and was a member of the Research Committee of the Graduate Management Admission Council.
Rajni Goel, Ph.D.
Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs
Dr. Rajni Goel serves as the Associate Provost for Faculty Affairs and Professor of Cybersecurity and Information Systems at Howard University. Within the Howard University School of Business, she has held several key leadership roles, including Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Chair of the Department of Information Systems and Supply Chain Management, and Founding Director of the Cyber-Security Education and Research Center (CERC)—a center she was instrumental in establishing.
Dr. Goel is an active scholar and grant recipient in the fields of cybersecurity, cyber-risk, and information systems. She has cultivated international research collaborations and is deeply committed to fostering public-private-academic partnerships that enhance student learning opportunities. Her international engagements include serving as a Fulbright-Nehru Scholar in India, where she contributed to cybersecurity research and curriculum development, and as a cybersecurity speaker in Malaysia through the U.S. Department of State’s International Information Programs. She currently leads the University Academic Excellence Review program and has previously served as Co-Director of the Chair Leadership Academy and as a Faculty Scholar Coach for the Summer Academy.
Dr. Goel holds a bachelor’s degree in mathematics from Millersville University, a master’s degree in mathematics, and a Ph.D. in Information Technology with a specialization in information security from George Mason University.
Tonija Hope, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for International Programs
Dr. Tonija Hope is the assistant provost for international affairs and director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center at Howard University (HU). In this vital leadership role, Dr. Hope oversees the University's internationalization efforts, implement strategies to further expand Howard's global footprint, and cultivate diverse, globally focused experiences for our students and the broader community.
For nearly a decade, Dr. Hope has served as the executive director of the Ralph J. Bunche International Affairs Center, leading a transformation that positioned Howard as a national leader in global educational engagement. Since joining the University in 2015, she has reimagined the center, grounding its mission in the framework of Black internationalization. During this period, she has launched innovative programs such as the Global Futures Collaborative, increased global mobility for underrepresented students, forged meaningful global partnerships, and hosted global convenings and cultural diplomacy engagements.
Dr. Hope’s leadership has extended far beyond campus. She serves on the boards of the Association of International Education Administrators and the International Student House of Washington, D.C., and was recently named chair-elect of the Fund for Education Abroad.
A proud alumna, Dr. Hope earned her doctorate in higher education leadership and policy studies from the Howard University School of Education. She also holds a bachelor’s degree in Latin American studies from Macalester College and a master's degree in tourism administration with a focus on international education from George Washington University. Prior to joining Howard, Dr. Hope held significant roles, including director of programs for Latin America and the Caribbean at the Phelps Stokes Fund and executive director of the Baoba Fund for Racial Equity – North America, where she advanced cross-cultural collaboration through the Americas.
Calvin Hadley, Ph.D.
Assistant Provost for Academic Partnerships and Student Engagement
Dr. Calvin Hadley is Assistant Provost for Academic Partnerships and Student Engagement. In this role, he manages the following initiatives: executive academic searches; key academic partnerships including Howard Entertainment, Howard West, Marriott-Sorenson Center for Hospitality Leadership, and selected community outreach initiatives. He serves as coordinator of the Gwendolyn and I Colbert King Lecture Series. Prior to joining the Office of the Provost, Associate Provost Hadley served as senior advisor to the University’s president. Dr. Hadley earned the BA in Political Science (Howard University); the MPA (New York University); and the PhD. In sociology from Howard University.