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Dr. Howard, who spent her first years in mainland China
and Japan,
has lived all over the world. Gaining broad, multicultural experience
in on-site and distance communication and performance, she has studied,
performed, taught, and presented throughout the United
States (including NYC) and in Europe.
Having graduated from a female, college-preparatory school, St. Andrew's Priory, in
Hawaii,
she has earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English and Music with secondary
teaching credentials at the University
of Oregon. Further, she has
received a Master of Education degree in Curriculum and Instruction with
Specializations in Gifted Education and the Performing
Arts at the University of
Washington.
Furthermore, she has earned a Ph.D. in Curriculum and Instruction with a
Specialization in Performance Studies (as Communication Art) at the University
of Texas. Subsequently, Professor
Howard has completed requirements for a Post-Doctoral Administrative
Certification in Distance Learning at the Texas
A & M Center for Distance Learning Research. She has served on
regional to international, multicultural, educational, and performing arts
boards of directors/advisors. (See her professional resume.)
She has
been active with many
professional organizations. She has been intensely involved throughout
her life in facilitating others to produce with her educational and artistic
projects that are substantive, redemptive, and edifying. She has taught and
inspired other to produce quality work that enriches minds, hearts,
and souls.
Dr. Howard has been a Performance Studies, Communication, and Media Studies Professor, who
has been responsible for the Performance Studies Division in the Department
of Communication and Media Studies (formerly Communication and Dramatic Arts) at the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor.
She has been active in national/international
publishing and presenting, especially concerning autobiographical
writing and presenting and distance
communication, presentation, and performance. She has been an author
of communication and performance studies textbooks. In recent years, she
has presented her work at UMHB in performance of autobiography
at a Performance Studies International (PSi) conference in Wales.
She has outlined her research
related to presenting role models through distance performance at an
international PSi conference at Arizona
State University.
At an international ethnic studies conference in Houston,
TX,
Dr. Howard has spoken on empowering
people of color through distance,
communication research. The conference has published her paper in a
conference monograph. She has presented the humanizing and personalizing
elements of autobiographical performance and follow-up interactions in
Cyberspace in Mainz, Germany,
at an international Performance Studies conference. At a national Christians in Theater Arts
in San Francisco, she has
conducted workshops on Writing and
Performing Autobiography.
Dr. Howard has visited historical reenactment/interpretation sites and has
discussed the work in these facilities with their managers. These sites have
included Washington-on-the Brazos, Texas;
Colonial Williamsburg and Jamestown,
Virginia; Ellis
Island and the Tenement
Museum, NYC. She has attended a
National Speaker Association conference in Dallas,
Texas, and has worked with historical
presenters associated with that organization and with other performers of
history. In Florida, she has supervised and visited her
paid interns in
the Disney College Program and her graduates, who have been hired by Disney
World in Orlando. From 2003 to the present, UMHB Performance Studies
students and graduates have been trained and
employed by Walt Disney World.
Professor Howard has presented her work related to autobiographical
writing and presenting at an international
Latino and Hispanic conference in Cancun,
Mexico. Again, the
conference has published her paper in a conference monograph. She has
presented a session at the National Association of African American Studies
conference in Houston, TX,
entitled Involving the Audience in
Autobiographical Storytelling. Her paper Using Performance Frames to Engage and
Involve the Audience in Autobiographical Stories of Historic African American
Role Models has been published in the conference monograph..
Dr. Howard has met with CEOs of Colonial Williamsburg to discuss distance
education and historical performance. Further, she has performed at a PSi
conference at NYU in New York City.
Dr. Howard has presented Facilitating
Productivity in Distance Education and Videostreaming
Performances at the
Fall Texas
Computer Educators Conference in
Temple,
TX.
She has provided a session, Effective
Presentations via Distance Technologies,
at the NAAAS conference ( National Association of African American
Studies, National Association of Hispanic and Latino Studies, National
Association of Native American Studies, International Association of
Asian Studies). At the National Conference on
Parent Education, Dallas, TX, Dr. Howard presented Facilitating
Interactivity and Productivity in Distance Parent Education, She and her students have presented Effective Distance Presentation
of Poetry for Texas Region Six District, K-12, teachers and Distance Interview Skills for
Temple Independent School District, 6-12, teachers and students. She has
presented Effective Non-Verbal Communication for Classroom Teaching,
TX Ed. Region VI teachers and administrators. She has presented and
facilitated educational videoconferences with teachers and students throughout
Texas and in New Jersey. She has participated in performed, presented
and facilitated numerous educational, international Web casts.
She has spoken on Performance
Studies in Secondary Education at the National Educational
Theatre Association Conference and has taught in a short course at the
National Communication Association Conference in Miami.
She has presented Introduction to Speech
Performance Through Project-Based, Autobiographical Performance, as
part of a panel, Integrating Narrative Form and Storytelling into the
Basic Courses. She has presented Cyberspace, the Great Equalizer, for NAAAS (
National Association of African American Studies, National Association of
Hispanic and Latino Studies, National Association of Native American
Studies, International Association of Asian Studies), in Houston,
Texas.
Dr. Howard has joined the NAAAS Board of
Directors and has attended the summer board meeting in Maine. At the 2005 NAAAS conference she has delivered her paper Facilitation and Enhancement
in Online Community , which has been published in the conference
monograph. She has planned for Carlotta
Russell Maneice, who reenacts Sojourner Truth from primary sources, to
perform at the NAAAS convention. Further, Professor Howard has arranged for Dr. Rod Paige,
Secretary of Education in President Bush's first term cabinet, to speak at
the Houston, TX, conference. After participating in the NAAAS Board of Directors summer meeting in
Baton Rouge, Professor Howard has presented The Impact and Power of
Autobiographical Storytelling and published Structuring Autobiographical
Stories at the 2006 NAAAS Baton Rouge conference. She has also arranged
for a performances that have included the autobiographical story of Harriet Tubman
by Dee Hughes and Puerto Rican poetry presented in Spanish by veteran
Texas actor, Michael Fox.
At the
National Communication Association Convention in San Antonio,
TX in 2006, Dr. Howard has presented
Inspiring Internal Locus of Control
Through Narrative Role Models,
as part of the Conflict Narrative Course
- A Site for Change: Connecting with Self
Through the Actions of Others.
Professor Howard and Performance Studies Students, Alumni, and Colleagues have been involved in independent filmmaking at UMHB and with
collaborative film projects with other independent filmmakers.
The University of Mary Hardin Baylor’s
Cru Film Program, that integrates courses and activities in Performance
Studies and Computer Graphics Design (CGD), continues to develop and expand.
Dr. Diane Howard leads Performance Studies in the new Department of
Communication and Media Studies in the new College of Humanities. Ms. Donna
Teel leads Computer Graphics Design (CGD) in the Department of Business
Information Technology and Systems (BITS) in the College of Business.
Together they have forged a new Film Minor at
UMHB that integrates courses from their respective programs to train
students in all aspects of film production. At UMHB they have been producing
original Cru films that are positively and constructively entertaining and
edifying. Texas independent film associations and events have
screened
Cru films. They have also been involved with
48 Hour Film Projects in Austin, Texas. They have been part of the
Big Plume Productions
Team that has won numerous film awards.
Dr. Howard has been a facilitator and graduate, online, curriculum
developer. She has been a published
author and online writer, editor, instructor, and professor . She has reviewed
educational technology plans, grant applications, Web services, and distance
education program. She has served as a professional consultant in on-site and
distance communicating/presenting/communicating and in autobiographical
writing/presenting. She has been active in the World Association of
Online Education, WAOE, as a writer,
mentor, and book reviewer. Dr. Howard has served in educational research,
curriculum development, and program delivery. She and her students have been
involved in peer-mentoring
projects with state, national, and international networks for which
Professor Howard and her students have designed an innovative, interactive Web
site. They have served school districts and
colleges with distance education
programming, especially via videoconferencing. On this Web site, Dr.
Howard has published resources and guidance for distance communication and autobiographical
writing/performing. Furthermore, they are working collaboratively on a book to
effectively guide filmmakers in the process of producing films from script
to screen.
Professor Howard has been a regional,
national, and international on-site and distance public speaker, performer,
presenter, consultant, coach, and professor. Her college, competitive, public
speaking and performance of literature students have been state and national
winners. Her Performance Studies students have performed poetry for Texas
Nafas (a television, poetry program in Austin,
TX). They have served as talent for regional
Texas companies.
Dr. Howard has judged academic, speech competitions. She has served on boards
of directors and steering committees for regional performing arts and
cultural organizations, such as the Evergreen Performers of Tacoma, WA; the CAC
Chorale and Cultural Activities Center
of Temple, TX; Tablerock
Festivals of Salado, TX; and Texas Nafas
of Austin, TX.
She has been a presentation facilitator for nationally recognized poet,
Robert Bly.
Dr. Howard has served at leadership levels on steering committees, boards
of directors, and advisory boards for international organizations such as the
following:
·
PSi (Performance
Studies International, Founding Member, Presenter,
Steering/Sub-Committees)
·
NAAAS (National
Association of African American Studies and Affiliates - National Association
of Hispanic and Latino Studies, National Association of Native American
Studies, and the International Association
of Asian Studies; International Board of Advisors, Presenter, Writer)
·
WAOE (World
Association of Online Education; Officer Online Education Curriculum
Committee, Online Writer, International Book Reviewer, Online Graduate Ed.
Mentor)
At the University of Mary Hardin-Baylor, Dr. Howard has developed a
leading, communication, Performance Studies, B.A. degree program in the
Department of Communication and Media Studies (formerly the Dept. of
Communication and Dramatic Arts). The Performance Studies Major at the UMHB has
provided training in performance techniques for
theater, television, radio, platform presentations,
distance communication, and film. UMHB
students have been interns for
Walt Disney World, production
and casting studios, talent
agent offices, radio and television stations, newspaper operations, political
offices, videoconference centers, and theater organizations, Some of
the UMHB Performance Studies, Theater, and Communication students/alumni have been employed in regional television
studios (see Matt Howard interviewing Julia
Roberts, Benjamin Bratt, and other stars). Others have been employed by radio
stations, video/film production studios (i.e. Katsy Joiner), and cultural centers.
Others have been free-lance solo or ensemble
theatrical/musical/platform presenters
and/or performers/directors. (Some of what the
Performance Studies students and alumni have been doing is noted on this Web site.)
Performance Studies students have researched, written, produced, and
performed solo productions of great
historic or contemporary role models that have been presented on platforms or
on stages for businesses, civic organizations,
theaters, schools, libraries, museums, and churches. Dr. Howard and her
Performance Studies students and alumni have performed in schools through the
Temple Cultural
Activities Center's
Artists-for-Hire
program. They have performed and presented for Equal
Opportunity Programs for military organizations.
Professor Howard, her students, and her alumni have
performed for television, film, and distance performance via videostreaming or
videoconferencing. Furthermore, they have performed autobiographical
stories in videostreams of Martha Washington, Joseph Merrick, and Harriet Tubman for Apple Learning
Interchange (ALI). They have performed multicultural poetry in a
live Web cast
and videostreaming for ALI (Apple Learning Interchange), as well as
performing frequently via videoconferencing for BellNet and the TISD network in Central Texas.
UMHB Performance Studies students and alumni
have been especially involved in providing on-site and distance performances
related to ethnic history.
Performance Studies students, Christine
Pointer and Okechukwu Iwundu, have performed as Guest Artists in
the Austin Singers' Concert, Soulsongs
to Celebrate Black History, along with Dr. Howard, who has
been a singer with the Austin
choral ensemble. UMHB Performances Studies students and alumni have
performed via videoconferencing equipment for distance technology fairs.
Dr. Howard has been professionally recognized as an educator, scholar, and
author. The University of Mary Hardin-Baylor has selected her for the Sears
Roebuck Award for Teaching Excellence and Campus Leadership; has designated
her as their Piper Professor Designee; and has given her a performance award
for her regional to international leadership, publication, presentation work
in Performance Studies. She has been included in
National &
International Who's Who
Directories (2000 to
present): American Scholars; Contemporary Authors; Professional &
Business Women; Professional & Executive Women, Women of Excellence; Women
American Education; Women in Education; American Women; Executives &
Professionals; Executives, Professionals, Entrepreneurs; and Professional
Female of the Year in Communication & Media Studies.
Further, Professor Howard has been a performing
artist and presenter. She has performed and presented as a soloist in
operas, oratorios, operettas, musicals, productions of autobiography,
sporting events, commercials, church services, and civic programs. She
has been commissioned to research, write, and produce original, historical,
productions of autobiography. She has frequently performed the
autobiographical story of Martha Washington, which she has researched,
written, and produced. She has performed this work through the
Temple
Cultural Activities
Center's Artists-for-Hire program and via the Apple Learning Interchange. She
has performed some of this material at a PSi
conference in NYC. She has served as a church soloist. Having been a regular
soloist in concerts of The Messiah, Dr. Howard has also been a
frequent solo performer in civic and university musical theater,
opera, and operetta productions. She has been an actor and
spokesperson for film, television, radio, industrials, theater,
voice-overs, videoconferencing, and videostreaming. She is
represented by the T. Coet Talent Agency (formerly Barbara Gray Talent). Having been the chairperson of the steering committee and having served on
the leadership board, she has been a singer with the CAC Civic Chorale. Finally, she has served
on the international board of directors for the NAAAS organization as the coordinator for
special conference events.
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