Gloria Howell is a servant leader, community curator, and educator. A small town Mississippi native, Gloria arrived to Bloomington, Indiana in 2013 to pursue her doctoral degree in higher education and student affairs at Indiana University. She is published researcher whose scholarship broadly focuses on amplifying artistic experiences (both curricular and co-curricular) and their impact on Black student identity development and affirmation and Black sisterhood in higher education. Gloria is a scholar-practitioner and currently serves as Director of the Neal-Marshall Black Culture Center at IU where she works alongside her team to cultivate a sense of belonging and other avenues of holistic support for Black students, faculty, and staff. She previously served as Faculty Coordinator for a first-year research and identity course for freshmen in the Hudson and Holland Scholars Program at IU. Prior to arriving to Bloomington, Gloria earned her M.A. in higher education and student personnel and her B.A. in broadcast journalism from the University of Mississippi.
Gloria truly believes that service within the community in which she lives is critical to her own growth and development as a whole person. While she recognizes that no community is perfect, she is grateful that Bloomington has embraced her and offered places and spaces to make a positive difference particularly for those whose voices have been marginalized, ignored, or silenced altogether. Gloria volunteers with The Rise transitional housing program; facilitates mentorship and enrichment program through Sistas Who Care, a student organization for girls of color at a local high school; and is a monthly guest at the Bloomington Montessori School where she reads to children and shares lessons on social justice. Gloria is active in several organizations including Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated, the Monroe County Branch of the NAACP, and the Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Birthday Celebration Commission. She is a Board Member for Middle Way House and Constellation Stage and Screen, two local non-profit organizations. Gloria also enjoys co-anchoring Bring it on!, a local radio program that highlights happenings that affect the Black community.