Dr. Howard currently serves as the Vice President for Health & Wellness at Dogwood Health Trust. In this role he manages a grantmaking portfolio that supports diverse community-based organizations in their delivery of health-related services. With a specific interest in the elimination of health-related disparities, Dr. Howard guides strategic partner development and grant allocations that result in more than $17M invested, annually, across the eighteen most western counties of North Carolina. Before joining Dogwood in April of 2022, Dr. Howard served as the Assistant Vice Chancellor of Student Affairs at Appalachian State University. In this role, Alex provided leadership to the departments of Counseling and Psychological Services, the M. S. Shook Student Health Services, University Recreation, as well as the Department of Wellness and Prevention Services. During his time at Appalachian State University Dr. Howard developed a variety of student support services, assisted with the modification of university policies, managed various research projects, and maintained his love for teaching in the classroom by serving as an instructor in the Beaver College of Health Sciences.
Prior to his work at Appalachian State University, Dr. Howard served as faculty within the College of Public Health at the University of Kentucky. As a faculty member Dr. Howard aided the development of the bachelor’s in public health degree program, as well as managed practicum placements for both the master’s and doctoral programs in public health. Although a native of Eastern NC, Dr. Howard has spent the last seventeen years primarily in Kentucky, West Virginia, and since 2015, Western NC.
