Dr. Jessica Howell is pictured here with Dr. Robert Barnett following a departmental breakfast at Lee’s Homecoming, where Dr. Howell received the 2018 Distinguished Alumna of the Year award for the Department of History, Political Science and Humanities
Dr. Jessica Howell was honored as the 2018 Distinguished Alumna for Lee University’s Department of History, Political Science, and Humanities at a department breakfast during Homecoming festivities earlier this month.
“Jessica Howell is the epitome of what I would hope a history graduate from Lee should represent,” said Dr. Robert Barnett, distinguished professor of history at Lee. “She excelled in her graduate studies at Florida State and has gone on to chair a successful academic program at Flagler College where she directs 22 faculty teaching in a variety of disciplines. She has made a name for herself as a fine teacher, good scholar and, perhaps for me, most importantly, a caring and dedicated mentor.”
Dr. Howell, originally from Kennesaw, Ga., graduated from Lee in 2000 with her Bachelor of Art in history. She went on to Florida State University, where she received her master’s and doctorate degrees in Russian history.
“I met Jessica my very first year at Lee in 1998,” said Dr. Randy Wood, department chair. “She was in my Renaissance and Reformation class, and I have been proud of her accomplishments ever since.”
Dr. Howell is now the chair of the Department of Humanities at Flagler College, where she began as an assistant professor of history and director of online learning in 2015. The following year, she was awarded the Dean’s Award for Excellence in Teaching.
Dr. Howell and her husband Stewart, also a Lee alum, reside in St. Augustine with their four children, Olivia, Kemp, Addi, and Izzy.