Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy

Dr. Tashni-Ann Dubroy serves as the Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer at Howard University. She currently oversees facilities management, IT, campus safety, enrollment management, auxiliary services, environmental health and safety, process optimization and University strategy.

Under her leadership, Howard University improved its financial aid standing with the Department of Education, elevating from Heightened Cash Monitoring, level 2 to level 1 status within a 9-month period. She managed the University through a weather-related crisis related to the operation of its steam plant, and is now leading a steam plant modernization effort. Dubroy is leading an IT overhaul that includes improvement of Howard University’s core network, as part of a partnership with IBM, and is installing a new, University-wide Enterprise Resource Planning system.

She most recently served as the 17th President of the “Mother of all Historically Black Universities in the South”, Shaw University. During her tenure at Shaw, she was awarded Female President of the Year by the HBCU Digest. Appointed in August 2015 during the University’s sesquicentennial celebratory year, Dr. Dubroy’s administration positioned Shaw as a resource to the City of Raleigh through entrepreneurial innovation, civic presence and support for students and surrounding communities.

Dr. Dubroy’s philosophy of fiscal conservatism and institutional capacity-building made her a fast-rising star in the higher education community. In its first year, the Dubroy Administration effectively reversed six consecutive years of enrollment declines and yielded a 15 percent increase of new and returning students in 2015. That same year, the administration closed a $4 million fundraising gap which included an institutional record $630,000 raised during Shaw’s annual homecoming weekend, and earned positive change in net assets to counteract a two-year loss – all of which earned her honors as 2017 CEO of the Year in the Triangle region. She was named to the 40 Under 40: Excellence in Leadership list by the Triangle Business Journal. She has received numerous accolades from local philanthropic organizations.

Her path to the presidency was unconventional, but her leadership has been categorized as a fresh and needed vision for the sustainability of higher education in metropolitan settings. Dr. Dubroy began her career as a Research Scientist at BASF, the world’s largest chemical company. She quickly ascended to the position of Global Technology Analyst, and after two years, was appointed to serve Chemical Procurement Manager, where she managed a strategic sourcing budget of $35 million.

Prior to joining Shaw University, she co-founded Tea and Honey Blends, a hair care company that manufactured and retailed natural hair care products, and co-owned

downtown Raleigh’s Element Beauty Bar. Her entrepreneurial success landed her on the pages of Money Magazine and Bloomberg’s BusinessWeek.

Dr. Dubroy earned her Ph.D. in Physical Organic Chemistry from North Carolina State University in 2007, and holds an MBA from Rutgers University. Prior to her executive appointment, the Shaw University alumna served as Special Assistant to the President, Chair of Shaw University’s Department of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, and as an Associate Professor of Chemistry.