Take a peek into a dean’s life
Dean Howard is well-prepared as a leader
Students and staff look up to Dean Howard who grew up in D.C.
April 9, 2023
Munier Howard is a dean here at Roosevelt, dedicated to helping those in need by preparing students for their futures and their transition into adulthood. Howard worked his way up to the position he currently has. Previously, he worked as a security guard and as a dedicated aid for people with disabilities at Jackson-Reed High School.
Howard grew up in northwest Washington, D.C., near Dunbar High School. He says, “It was tough, like any other neighborhood, but the neighbors helped look out for the younger kids. There were shootings and people selling drugs and stuff like that, but I was able to be a kid because the people that were around us.”
Although times were rough, Howard says the people he had around him helped him maintain his innocence. This is a prime example of how your environment can affect you either positively or negatively.
Howard built close relationships with people in his neighborhood growing up. “We took trips together, went to summer camps together, and played on some of the same sports teams,” he says, adding that even though “we weren’t blood, we were family.”
He attended a charter school in D.C. and graduated from Lincoln University, where he made some of the closest friends he still has today.
Now at Roosevelt, Howard strives to be the person like those in his neighborhood who helped him. He wants to create a community that students can benefit from. It took him some time to find the right job within the school where he can make a difference. The first job that he took for DCPS was being a dedicated aid for a blind kid who he said also had behavioral problems. He helped by getting the student’s notes transferred into Braille. Then he moved into a behavior tech position before becoming a dean.
He has created a family within the school and is respected amongst students and staff. “Dean Howard is the best person I ever worked with. He is a very consistent, hardworking man and he does what needs to be done,” Dean Perkins said. “He is like a brother to me.”