Leading with Purpose: AABHE’s President Charts Path for Black Excellence

ADr. Shewanee Howard-Baptistes a teenager growing up in St. Louis, Dr. Shewanee Howard-Baptiste was certain she’d become a doctor, but her college years told a different story. After a tough love encounter with science and biology courses, she realized the medical field wasn’t her calling. Her pivot from medical school aspirations to a career in health education is now a lesson she shares with young people: life is a journey, not a checklist.

“I think sometimes the world tells 18-year-olds that they have to know exactly what they want to do for the rest of their life. But you don’t have to have it all figured out,” she says. “What I realized is that I enjoyed health, and I enjoyed exercise and connecting with people, but I didn’t necessarily know if pre-med or the medical route was the best fit for me. The benefit for me is that I had really great mentors who just really encouraged me and provided me with opportunities to explore.”

Those opportunities led Howard-Baptiste to Miami University in Ohio where she earned degrees in exercise science, health promotion, and a Ph.D. in educational leadership.

“Continually going back to that same campus was ideal because I still was able to connect with mentors and faculty and staff and it really just nurtured my journey in higher education,” she says.

Although Howard-Baptiste initially planned to pursue a career in the sports and fitness industry, inspired by her years as a high school volleyball player and intramural athlete in college, she eventually decided to go into academia. She worked her way through the ranks as a professor, eventually landing at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga, and then an internship opportunity in the Office of the Provost came her way.

“My pathway was training as a traditional faculty member, going from an assistant to associate to a full professor, but I was looking to do something more, but I didn’t necessarily know what more looked like in higher ed,” she says. Through that internship, she got to work on senior level executive projects that supported the entire campus.

“I really enjoy meeting and collaborating with colleagues from across the campus, and it just gave me a much larger enterprise view of how education works and operates to support faculty, staff and students,” she says.

Howard-Baptiste currently serves as the Vice Provost for Undergraduate Affairs at the University of Tennessee, Chattanooga. She is also a professor in the Department of Health and Human Performance.

Her current work extends beyond the classroom, as she actively supports and teaches study abroad programs in the Caribbean and Africa, helping students expand their global perspectives and gain a deeper appreciation for different cultures.

Last year, Howard-Baptiste was appointed as the President of the American Association of Blacks in Higher Education (AABHE). It wasn’t a role she was chasing, but an opportunity she welcomed.

In 2018, she became involved with AABHE’s Leadership and Mentoring Institute, an experience that she describes as “the best professional development that I’ve ever experienced in 20 plus years of higher education.”

Through that experience she became passionate about the work of the organization, serving on several committees and on the board before being elected president.

“If someone told me six years ago, you’re going to lead this organization, I would have asked, ‘are you sure?’ I’m just so blessed to be able to give to higher education in such a dynamic way,” she says. “I don’t take for granted that I’ve had so many mentors and people that have come before me who believed in me when I may not necessarily have believed in myself,” she emphasizes.

Founded in 2006, AABHE empowers Black educators, administrators, and scholars through leadership development, networking opportunities, and advocacy for inclusive policies.

Through her work at AABHE, Howard-Baptiste takes pride in helping to transform the lives of Black professionals in higher education, an industry she notes is often difficult to navigate due to systemic challenges. Her goals as president focus on enhancing membership engagement, fostering support for Black professionals in higher education, and ensuring organizational sustainability.

“What fuels me is young people and creating an environment where students feel safe, encouraged to share their views, and empowered to ask questions,” she says. “I didn’t have a Black female professor until I was a doctoral student, and I want students to see someone who looks like them in spaces that create change.”

She says that she hopes to leave a legacy “where others feel empowered to do this work, knowing they’re not alone and that they have a supportive community to lean on,” she adds. “We’re all a village, working together to create safer spaces and inspire others to serve.”