"Dr. Howard-Vital is a well-respected leader in higher education who brings a unique set of experiences and skills to each of the institutions she assists."
–Dr. John C. Cavanaugh, President & CEO of Consortium of Universities of the Washington Metropolitan Area

“I was thrilled when Dr. Michelle Howard-Vital agreed to become a presidential advisor for the ACE Spectrum Executive Leadership Program.”
–Kim Bobby, Ed.D.,
American Council on Education

"Dr. Howard-Vital brings to each challenge in higher education a positive attitude, intellectual perspective, and
collaborative spirit."
–Dr. James Leutze,
Chancellor Emeritus at UNC Wilmington

"Dr. Howard-Vital has served successfully in many roles in higher education, and she would bring that knowledge and wisdom to help any institution uncover untapped opportunities."
–Kemal Atkins, Vice President for Student Affairs and Enrollment Management, Keene State College

"Dr. Howard-Vital is a leader who encourages professional development and growth of individuals on staff to continue to reinforce best practices."
–Eric R. Almonte, J.D., Interim Assistant Vice President, Drexel University LeBow College of Business

Howard-Vital Consulting

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A N D N O N - P R O F I T S

geri r. Vital, M.A.,

C O N S U L T I N G S E R V I C E S F O R H I G H E R E D U C A T I O N

Michelle R. Howard-Vital, PH.D. (resume link below)

Mr. Geri R. Vital has had extensive experience in marketing, communications, and image building. An entrepreneur at heart, he established his business, Vital Communications, to fill a niche to enable startups, small businesses, and nonprofit organizations to compete with more established companies and organizations. With his knowledge of media and the practices needed to attract and build successful client relationships, it did not take long to gain larger clients including the

The late Dr. Howard-Vital served as Acting President of Florida Memorial University and, before that, the Senior Executive Vice President fro Academic Affairs and Provost for the University. Prior to that, she was Senior Fellow for the American Association of State Colleges and Universities, and a member of the College Registry for College Presidents offering her services in transition times for colleges and universities. She was also the former President of Cheyney University (2007-2014), Interim Chancellor of

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City of Chicago, Chicago State University, The Children's Hospital at LaRabida, the Hispanic Alliance for Career Enhancement, and others through referrals. When his wife accepted a position at Edinboro University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Vital embraced the challenge to extend his understanding of human communication, sold the business, and enrolled in a the noted graduate program in Communication Studies at that university. For his graduate internship, he performed a comprehensive assessment of the communication environment of General Electric’s Transportation Systems in Erie and helped improve its workforce diversity initiatives.

Soon after moving to North Carolina, Mr. Vital was hired by the University of North Carolina at Wilmington to create and manage their primary recruitment publications, which then reached over 65,000 students and families each year. With his direction and monitoring, university promotions helped grow enrollment approximately 20% during his tenure. His talent and attention to detail paid off in winning top regional design awards from CASE and Best of Show from Admissions Marketing Report. His photographs of campus life were displayed in galleries around campus.

As the use of web pages grew, Mr. Vital expanded his skills into web design and coding. While in Wilmington, he developed websites for Elderhaus Elder Care Centers, Ken Weeden & Associates municipal planners, The Links, Inc. of Wilmington, and Queen City Records. He also began teaching college-level courses in communications and public speaking at Cape Fear Community College and later at UNC Wilmington. His mentoring and work coaching student speakers for competitions have helped groom student government leaders at each institution.

In his subsequent position at North Carolina Central University (NCCU), Mr. Vital developed the Academic Affairs intranet site and its content, and expanded his knowledge of educational technology. He was a regular participant at Educause, Merlot, and other TLT conferences and represented the university at the UNC System Teaching & Learning with Technology Board–which explored ways the emerging technologies could enhance education–and then presented the latest methodologies and solutions to faculty at NCCU to help them maximize their instruction and improve pedagogy.

At Cheyney University of Pennsylvania, Mr. Vital was recruited to help improve the practices and professionalism of the Office of University Relations. With his guidance, the university attained greater control of the stories being circulated about the institution, standardized its PR practices, and helped develop the university's style guide. In addition to providing photography, research, writing, editing, design and layout for the Cheyney University Magazine, Mr. Vital created recruitment materials and taught photography, web design, and commercial design courses for the new graphic design degree program. During his tenure, the distribution for the Cheyney University Magazine grew from 4000 to 12000 recipients, and digital communications began to spread internationally.

Mr. Vital now looks forward to opportunities to help improve the public relations and marketing efforts of institutions and organizations, and to grooming the next generation of communication and marketing professionals.

Download résumé .

Winston-Salem State University (2006-2007), and Associate Vice President for the University of North Carolina General Administration in Chapel Hill (2003-2006).

A Chicago native with roots in the South, Dr. Howard-Vital earned her undergraduate degree in English Literature and Language and her Masters of Arts in Teaching English from the University of Chicago, and earned her doctorate in Public Policy Analysis from the University of Illinois at Chicago. Dr. Howard-Vital's experience spanned more than 30 years in various roles in higher education across four states—Illinois, North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Florida. When she started as an English instructor and director of College Without Walls at Central YMCA Community College at the age of 22, she proclaimed, “I cannot believe they are paying me so much ($10,000/yr) to have so much fun.”

In addition to the positions stated, Dr. Howard-Vital served in a range of positions in higher education, including: Coordinator of the Biomedical Sciences Program at the University of Illinois at Chicago, Dean of Continuing Education at Harold Washington College, Dean of Continuing Education and Non-Traditional Degree Programs at Chicago State University, Associate Vice President for Academic Programs and Dean of University College at Edinboro University, and Vice Chancellor for Public Service and Extended Education/Associate Provost at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington. Dr. Howard-Vital was tenured twice–once at the community college level and once at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington where she earned the rank of full professor. She also served as a member of the State Board of Education for the State of North Carolina from 2001-2007. Moreover, she led two institutions to successful reaffirmation of accreditation granted by the Middle States Commission on Higher Education.

Dr. Howard-Vital received numerous awards and recognitions for her service in higher education, including: The Women of Distinction Award by the Philadelphia Business Journal (2012); the Women Cultivating Women Award in honor of Mary McLeod Bethune (2010); the Association for Black Women in Higher Education Award for Leadership for founding its Chicago Chapter (2002); the Million Dollar Club Award for her grants at The University of North Carolina at Wilmington (2001); being recognized by the University of Chicago as one of its outstanding graduates; and being given the Distinguished Alumni Award, by the University of Illinois for her contributions to education in the areas of scholarship, teaching, service, and administration (2000). However, the acknowledgement of service that she appreciated most were the letters, cards, and emails of gratitude from former students at the institutions where she has worked or taught.

Dr. Howard-Vital served as mentor for a number of executives in higher education from rising presidents and chancellors to promising students with aspirations for leadership roles in higher education and public service. She will be deeply missed.

Download résumé .