He is a 1987 graduate of Plano Senior High School in Plano, Texas, where he helped the 1986 football team win a Texas State Championship. Howard is a 1991 graduate of the United States Air Force Academy, earning a Bachelor of Science in political science. While at the Academy, he served as his class president and as a cadet group commander.[2]
In 1999, Howard worked in various capacities for Bristol-Myers Squibb, serving as a manager on a $100 million HIV/AIDS initiative in southern Africa called Secure The Future.
Howard is the founder and a trustee emeritus of the Impact Young Lives Foundation, a non-profit organization that provides scholarship and travel opportunities for South African students of color.[7]
Beginning in May 2003, Howard served in General Electric's Corporate Initiatives Group where he reported to the Chief Information Officer. While working with GE, he led several initiatives, including the company's effort to expand its African businesses.[citation needed]
In September 2005, Howard became Associate Vice President for Strategic & Leadership Initiatives, and later Vice President at the University of Oklahoma where he also served as the Director of the Honors College Leadership Center, Associate Professor, and a President's Associates Presidential Professor.[citation needed]
In 2009, he became president of Hampden-Sydney College, where he increased enrollment and balanced the college's budget.[5]
After his tenure at Hampden-Sydney, Howard became president of Robert Morris University in 2016. During Howard's tenure as president at RMU, the university's largest funding campaign ever met its $100 million goal a year ahead of schedule, collecting funds for the UPMC Events Center, scholarships, research and teaching centers, and expansion of the John Jay Center for the School of Engineering, Mathematics and Science. Despite some of these successes, during Howard's tenure enrollment declined precipitously[8] even before the Covid pandemic exacerbated the decline further, and the university's financial position weakened causing massive layoffs.[9] The end of Chris Howard's time at Robert Morris University was punctuated by the student body booing Howard off the stage as he was introduced during the annual welcome back to school party in September 2021.[10]
On May 26, 2021, Robert Morris University's men's and women's NCAA division 1 hockey teams were shut down by Howard and the chairman of the board of trustees without a vote from the board,[11] although Howard said there was "consensus" for his decision.[12] Board member Kevin Colbert resigned in reaction to the lack of vote on the decision.[13] Howard attributed his decision to the costs of maintaining the programs.[14] Alumni players and RMU hockey supporters formed the Pittsburgh College Hockey Foundation to raise money for the hockey teams, and the hockey programs were reinstated for the 2023-24 season.[15]