Daria J. Willis
Daria J. Willis is the fifth president of Howard Community College, assuming the office in December 2021, following a nationwide search and unanimous vote by the Board of Trustees. She is the first African American to lead the college.
Prior to her appointment, Dr. Willis was the president of Everett Community College in Washington. She has held leadership positions at community colleges in New York and Texas and taught African American history as a faculty member in Florida and Texas. She is a 2021 Ascend Fellow for the Aspen Institute, and is a member of the Howard County Economic Development Board and the Howard County Local Children’s Board.
Dr. Willis most recently received the Daily Record’s 2022 Most Influential Marylander, Baltimore Business Journal’s 40 Under 40, 2023 cohort of VIP Women of Influence, honored as a Living Legend by Howard County Councilmember Opal Jones, the Attorney Frank E. Emory, Jr. Trailblazer Award, and in 2024 she received the Ubiquitous Woman of the Year Award.
Dr. Willis holds a PhD in history from Florida State University and has her master's and bachelor's degrees from Florida A&M University.