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Dr. Howard C. Johnson, Senior Vice President and Provost

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Dr. Howard C. Johnson
Senior Vice President and Provost

Dr. Howard C. Johnson is the Senior Vice President and Provost of Medgar Evers College, CUNY. Prior to coming to Medgar Evers College, Dr. Johnson held a number of crucial leadership positions in higher education. He most recently served as Professor of Mathematics at the University of North Texas (UNT) where he had earlier held the position of Provost and Vice

President for Academic Affairs. Prior posts at Syracuse University included Executive Vice Provost for Academic Affairs, Dean of the Graduate School, Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, as well as Professor of Mathematics and Mathematics Education.

During his tenure as Provost and Vice President for Academic Affairs at UNT, Dr. Johnson initiated a strategic hiring and salary enhancement plan that yielded $6 million in faculty raises and thirty-four tenure track position over the course of two years. While serving as Associate Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at Syracuse, he was charged with increasing faculty diversity and played a pivotal role in the recruitment, retention, and mentoring of over fifty-five African- American and Latino faculty and professional staff members.

Dr. Johnson’s expertise has been tapped in the national, state, regional and local arenas. He is a frequent conference participant and has been a presenter at the American Educational Research Association’s annual meeting, the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics annual and regional meetings, and the National Forum for Black Public Administrators. As a respected researcher and program developer, he has published several, noted textbooks with Harcourt and Addison-Wesley, as well as articles, chapters, and instructional materials.
Dr. Johnson has authored grants that resulted in sponsorship by the Associated Medical Schools of New York State, New York State Department of Education, Science and Technology Entry Program, the National Science Foundation for the Young Scholars Program, and the GE Foundation. He has further served as principal investigator for a $5.5 million dollar, 5-year project- The Central New York to Puerto Rico-Mayaguez (CNY-PR) Alliance for Graduate Education and the Professoriate (AGEP), funded by the National Science Foundation and a $614,925 dollar, 3-year Graduate Assistance in Areas of National Need (GAANN) project funded by the U.S. Department of Education.

In addition to his academic activities, Dr. Johnson is a member of several professional and learned societies. He has served on the Board of Directors for the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics and as President of the Benjamin Banneker Association. He was a member of the boards of Graduate Record Examinations (GRE), Test of English as a Foreign Language (TOEFL) and the Council of Graduate Schools. He also has served as both President and Vice President of the Association of Graduate Schools. He is a consultant and participant in several educational research groups as well as remaining actively engaged in state and community organizations.
Dr. Johnson, a nationally renowned mathematics scholar, received his B.A. and M.S. degrees in mathematics from Chicago State University, an M.S. in Mathematics from the University of Illinois at Chicago and his Ph.D. from Northwestern University.

Dr. Claudia Schrader, Ed.D.
Assistant Provost
Dr. Claudia Schrader was appointed as the Assistant Provost for Assessment, Research, Institutional and Student Success in December 2006. Dr. Schrader received her Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University; and the Master of Arts; Master of Education; and Doctorate in Education from Teachers College, Columbia University.   Dr. Schrader has over 10 years of experience working in Special Education and related fields as a Developmental Specialist, Evaluator, Assessment and Clinical Supervisor, Program Development consultant, and adjunct Professor at Teacher College, Columbia University, Bankstreet Graduate School of Education, State University of New York College at Old Westbury, and the College of New Rochelle.  She is active in the field of Teacher Education and Special Education presenting at local, national and international conferences.  

Dr. Schrader joined the faculty of the Education Department in 2000 where she is currently an Associate Professor (on leave). As a faculty member in the Education Department, Dr. Schrader served most recently as Interim Department Chairperson, Deputy Chairperson (2001-2006) and Council for the Accreditation of Teacher Education (NCATE) Coordinator (2003-2006). In her capacity as the NCATE Coordinator, she spearheaded the Education Department’s accreditation process.  Dr. Schrader served as part of the Middle States Accreditation Team and has been invited to serve as an NCATE consultant.

Dr. Simone Rodriguez-Dorestant, Ph.D.

Acting Dean of the School of Professional and Community Development

Dr. Simone Rodriguez-Dorestant currently serves as the Executive Director for Academic and Curriculum Planning and is responsible for facilitating development of proposed degree programs and working with faculty to ensure the growth of new degree programs.  In addition, she is responsible for the administration of EduTrac (Degreeworks) and serves as the liaison with Student Affairs and Student Services. She holds a Bachelor of Arts degree from State University of New York at Binghamton (Philosophy, Politics and Law); a Master of Arts degree from New York University (Higher Education Administration), and a Ph.D. from Walden University (Higher Education Administration and Adult Women's Development).    

Before joining the Office of Academic Affairs, Dr. Rodriguez-Dorestant worked in the Special Programs/SEEK Department as a Counselor/Lecturer; Director, Associate of Arts, Teacher Education Program; and Executive Director of Student Development and Student Services.