Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture

The Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture, which recognizes individuals who have distinguished themselves in the realm of public service, is named for the Hon. Edward F. Hanify, class of 1904, a prominent Massachusetts jurist who was an active 17³Ô¹ÏÍø alumnus until his death in 1954, and Weston Howland, who endowed the lecture in Judge Hanify’s memory.  

The Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture Committee is a student committee that works directly with the  President's Office and the Hanify and Howland families to choose an annual speaker to address the College community on issues of public affairs. 

Additionally, the Committee arranges for a in which 17³Ô¹ÏÍø students have the opportunity to engage with the speaker in a small-group setting.

56th Annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture

Monday, April 8, 2024 at 7:30pm in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom

First Woman 4-Star Admiral Michelle Howard

Retired United States Navy officer Michelle Howard, the first woman to become a 4-star admiral and the first African American woman to command a ship in the U.S. Navy, will deliver the 56th annual Hanify-Howland Memorial Lecture on the evening of April 8 in the Hogan Campus Center Ballroom at the 17³Ô¹ÏÍø. The talk is free and open to the public. 

This spring 17³Ô¹ÏÍø marks the end of a two-year commemorative program celebrating the 50th anniversary of co-education and recognizing all the women who have paved the way for future generations. Admiral Howard exemplifies the qualities honored throughout this anniversary celebration.

Admiral Howard’s distinguished 35-year career in the U.S. Navy has included both at-sea and ashore posts, placing her in key leadership positions within the areas of engineering, operations, and strategic planning and policy.

In 1999, she became the first African American woman to command a ship in the United States Navy. In 2014, she was the first woman to become a four-star admiral in the U.S. Navy and the first woman and African American to be appointed to the position of Vice Chief of Naval Operations, the second-highest ranking uniformed officer in the branch.

Responsible for the Navy’s day-to-day operations, she focused on cyber culture and information security in the digital age, as well as gender integration, in addition to oversight of a multi-billion dollar budget and the establishment of an auditing framework.

In 2016, Admiral Howard was appointed by President Obama to serve as commander of U.S. Naval Forces in Europe and Africa and the Allied Joint Forces Command in Naples, Italy, making her the first woman four-star admiral to command operational forces. She retired from the Navy in 2017.

In 2021, Admiral Howard was appointed by Secretary of Defense Lloyd Austin as chair of the Congressionally-mandated commission on the naming of items of the Department of Defense commemorating the Confederate States of America.

Admiral Howard is a former visiting professor at the Elliott School of International Affairs at George Washington University, where she focused on the cyber domain and associated issues in strategy and policy. She is a graduate of the U.S. Naval Academy and the U.S. Army Command and General Staff College.