[2] Howard has been a leader and member of many corporate boards of directors; and councils and committees in higher education and city government.

[1][4][7] Howard was born in Wilson, North Carolina,[5] but lived some of her later childhood years and youth in Queens, New York.

[9][18] Prior to coming to the college, Howard had little experience in interacting with faculty, however her organizational skills and ability to resolve conflicts were praised.

[19] Additionally, she was praised as a "tough administrator" who "knows the system" by former Buffalo Common Council President George K. Arthur; and it was said that she had the respect of students.

[20] The college had a reputation as a "tough place to manage," and was expected to have difficulty in attracting qualified candidates to the position of the presidency.

[21] Those three goals included "increasing recruitment and retention of students; developing strategies to address the 1996-97 budget; [and] dealing with the 'institutional climate' that has emerged.

[22] On that day, there were proclamations issued by Buffalo Mayor Anthony Masiello as well as Erie County Executive Dennis Gorski.

[22] During her tenure as interim president, Howard's main goal is "dealing directly with allegations of racial and sexual discrimination" at the college.

[18] Howard stated in February 1996 that the college had held 60 programs on racial and cultural diversity, and gender during the previous fall.

[23] One dean who left to take another position stated that it was a time in the college's history in which important leadership choices were to be made that would take the institution into the next century.

[27] Of the launching of the telecommunications network, Howard stated in a November 25, 1997 Buffalo News article by Karen Brady: In 1998, Howard made a personal effort to expand the Nurturing Initiative and Achievements (NIA) in Students Mentor Program at the college by offering a distance learning program at San José, Costa Rica.

[31] One of the interests of the college was to use lands for expansion, and to build a new Burchfield Penney Art Center,[33] a desire that was eventually achieved.

[38] The main purpose of the conference was to create dialogue about race in higher education and to increase the numbers of African-Americans holding top leadership posts in American academia.

[42] She states that all of these actions will support students in America who are undocumented, and will help maintain American competitiveness, as well as keeping "talent...at home.

"[42] In 2013, Howard gave the keynote address at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport's Annual Diversity Conference.

[7] She co-chaired the State University of New York Provost's Advisory Task Force on General Education,[7] establishing guidelines for the institution of a general education curricula throughout the SUNY system, and was a member of the New York State Blue Ribbon Commission on Youth Leadership.

The Links is a non-profit organization composed primarily of professional African-American women who are dedicated to the ideals of community service and friendship.

[47] At the Buffalo Convention Center in 1998, Howard spoke at the eighth annual Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. breakfast, sponsored by the New Hope Missionary Baptist Church.

[48] Howard, in part, encouraged the 600 attendees of the breakfast to work toward achieving the ideals of King, as well as to strive to make a "racially harmonious world and a just society.

[1][7] Further, Howard received the SUNY at Buffalo, Newman Center, Catholic Campus Ministry, Distinguished Alumnus Award.

[1][7] She is a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor's Award for Excellence in Professional Service,[1][5][7] and was a charter inductee in the Western New York Women's Hall of Fame.

[7] in 1997 at UB, she received the Bernice Poss Award from the Western New York Regional Committee of the American Council on Education/National Identification Program for the Advancement of Women in Higher Education.