Dr. Ayanna Howard will be dean of the College of Engineering at The Ohio State University, effective March 1, 2021. The appointment will make her the first woman to lead the college.
Dr. Ayanna HowardHoward will also be a tenured professor in the school’s electrical and computer engineering department.
Her appointment awaits Board of Trustees approval.
Prior to Ohio, Howard – roboticist and advocate for women and minorities in engineering – was chair of the School of Interactive Computing and also founder of the Human-Automation Systems Lab at Georgia Institute of Technology. She is listed in Forbes’s America’s Top 50 Women In Tech.
“As a comprehensive research university, Ohio State provides opportunities for innovations across fields and sectors, with benefits to our students and the broader economy,” said Dr. Bruce A. McPheron, executive vice president and provost. “Dr. Howard has the perfect background to advance innovation in the College of Engineering, throughout the university and with industry partners.”
Howard holds a bachelor’s degree in computer engineering from Brown University, a master’s degree and Ph.D. in electrical engineering from the University of Southern California and an MBA from Claremont Graduate University.
