Dr. Charles J. Gibbs

Dr. Charles J. Gibbs is a three-degree Howard University alumnus and the seventh—and first African American—president of Metropolitan College of New York. He earned a B.B.A. in marketing in 1991, an M.Ed. in education administration and policy in 2004, and an Ed.D. in 2020, leaving Howard with no student debt. A former special-education student and football player from Montclair, New Jersey, he first saw college through Upward Bound, then accepted a Howard scholarship that changed his family’s life. He was inducted into Howard’s Bison Express Football Hall of Fame in 2004.

Gibbs spent 16 years in Howard leadership, from 2000 to 2016, and later held senior posts at Clark Atlanta University and Miles College. He served as president of the Propel Center HBCU Consortium, expanding student opportunities in health, social justice, the arts, agriculture, and technology, and as chief executive officer of 100 Black Men of America, the nation’s largest African American male mentoring organization. He became MCNY’s president on July 1, 2024, after a 25-year career in higher education marked by work in accreditation, fundraising, enrollment, and student success.

In 2024 he received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award. He often tells students that if there is a will, Howard finds a way—and that he came in as a scholar-athlete and left as a doctor of education. He is a 2026 National Black College Alumni Hall of Fame inductee in Education.

• Earned three Howard degrees without student debt. Gibbs completed a B.B.A. in marketing in 1991, an M.Ed. in education administration and policy in 2004, and an Ed.D. in 2020. Howard football and Upward Bound first opened the door; he left as a doctor of education.
• Entered Howard’s Bison Express Football Hall of Fame. A former special-education student and scholar-athlete from Montclair, New Jersey, he was inducted in 2004 and has used that story with students who need to see a second chance become a career.
• Spent 16 years in Howard leadership. From 2000 to 2016 he held campus posts that spanned accreditation, fundraising, enrollment, and student success, then continued that work at Clark Atlanta University and Miles College.
• Led 100 Black Men of America and the Propel Center HBCU Consortium. As CEO of the nation’s largest African American male mentoring organization, and as president of the Propel Center, he expanded student opportunities in health, social justice, the arts, agriculture, and technology.
• Became the first African American president of Metropolitan College of New York. He took office on July 1, 2024, as the college’s seventh president, after a 25-year career in higher education. In 2024 he also received the President’s Lifetime Achievement Award.