Beyond the Yard- Feature Story

By Kelvin Childs

Howard University has selected two outstanding reformers in the fields of science research and primary and secondary education as recipients of the 2024 Alumni Awards for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement, one of its highest honors.

Suzanne Marie Randolph Cunningham, PhD (B.A. ’74), chief science officer of MayaTech Corp., in Silver Spring, Md., is a renowned researcher on the maternal health of Black women and their offspring. Andraé Townsel (B.A. ’07; MEd ’09; EdD ’15), superintendent of Calvert County Public Schools in Maryland, is an accomplished educator.

[quote here from Suzanne Randolph Cunningham reacting to the news about getting this award]

[quote here from Andraé Townsel reacting to the news about getting this award]

Howard has bestowed the Alumni Award for Distinguished Postgraduate Achievement since 1943, honoring alums whose work has resulted in significant changes in society. The candidates were selected by a committee and reviewed by President Ben Vinson III, PhD, before approval by the Board of Trustees.

Since 1986, Randolph Cunningham has been with MayaTech as chief science officer. She made her mark with extensive research and leadership examining the health needs in Black and Latino communities. She also was an associate professor at the University of Maryland, College Park from 1988 to 2008 and assistant professor and research coordinator at Howard University’s College of Medicine from 1981 to 1986.

She received the James M. Jones Lifetime Achievement Award in 2015 from the American Psychological Association Minority Fellowship Program, for her research on Black children and families, her work to execute improvements in treating racial and ethnic constituents, as well as assessments of health disparities and public health issues, and more.

Randolph Cunningham is a life member and past national president of the Association of Black Psychologists, Inc. Her undergraduate degree is in psychology, and she earned masters and PhD degrees from the University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She is a Golden life member of Delta Sigma Theta Inc.

Townsel’s career in primary and secondary education took a path of increasing responsibility. With his appointment in 2022, Townsel became the first African-American superintendent of the Calvert County Public Schools.

After graduating from Howard, Townsel worked in public and charter schools in the District of Columbia, Southbridge, Mass., and suburban Detroit. Along the way, he served in various capacities, including student teacher, teacher, basketball head coach, football head coach, assistant dean of students, dean of students, central office specialist, assistant principal, high school principal and assistant superintendent.

From 2020 to 2022, Townsel was superintendent of the Benton Harbor Area School District in Michigan. During his tenure, Townsel cleared a 14-year budget deficit and got raises for all teachers, ending a 10-year salary freeze.

Townsel is a prime mover in climate, culture and social emotional learning (SEL). The Benton Harbor district received a $3 million, five-year grant to improve literacy, and grants to uphold SEL and restorative practices and SEL.

He lowered out-of-school suspensions in the Benton Harbor district by almost 25 percent. He was named Education Innovator of the Year in 2021 by the United Way of Southwest Michigan and was nominated in 2021 for state Superintendent of the Year.

Townsel is a three-time graduate of Howard, earning his bachelor’s degree in 2007, master’s in 2009 and doctorate in 2015. He is a life member of Kappa Alpha Psi, Inc.

Randolph Cunningham and Townsel will be honored at the Charter Day Dinner on Saturday, March 2 at Marriott Marquis Washington, D.C.