Ms. Tonya Guillory

Tonya Guillory serves as the Dean of Student Life and Activities at Howard University, a Unit within the Division of Student Affairs. As Dean, she is responsible for facilitating quality programs and services that promote and enhance the learning experience of the Howard University student body. Her areas of responsibility include the Blackburn University Center, Central Scheduling and Information, International Student Services, Student Activities, and Intramurals and Recreation. Her staff also serves as general advisors to the Howard University Student Association (HUSA).

Ms. Guillory joined the Howard University family in 2002 as the first National Achievement Scholar Program Coordinator.  Within her first year, she successfully increased the applicant pool by 50%. This increased the number of scholars enrolled at Howard University and placed the University in the lead nationwide for the most National Achievement Scholars, ahead of Harvard University. The numbers of scholars to enroll and apply to the university continued to increase significantly during her tenure.  She was responsible for the increase in participants and success of the annual Weekend at the Mecca recruitment program which provided an opportunity for students to explore Washington, D.C. and Howard University .

 In 2003, Ms. Guillory served as a panelist on the “Status of Historically Black Colleges and Universities” as part of the Tavis Smiley College Fair which aired on C-Span.  Additionally, Ms. Guillory was presented with the “Unsung Hero” award in 2004, and was awarded “Employee of the Week” by the entire student body.   She was interviewed in the July 2004 issue of Ebony where she discussed strategies for preparing students and parents for the college experience. Prior to her appointment as program coordinator at Howard University, Ms. Guillory worked for The Black Collegian Magazine as the College Relations Manager; and was also employed at Tulane University in New Orleans as a career counselor where she developed numerous innovative programs while serving as a liaison to the athletes and the Multicultural Affairs department. Further, Ms. Guillory served as cheerleading coach and advisor at Huston-Tillotson University.

 Ms. Guillory holds the B.S. in Marketing from Hampton University, Hampton, Virginia, the M.Ed. in Education from the University of Texas at Austin, and a Human Resource Management Certification from Tulane University, New Orleans, LA.