James Howard

Executive Director
Black Inventors Hall of Fame

James Howard is a lecturer, design historian, industrial designer, inventor and entrepreneur. He has designed more than 300 products and has 20 patents. He owns and operates entrepreneurial U, a specialty private career school of Design Thinking. Howard’s course, “Bridge” Exploring New Career Pathways, takes students through the problem-solving processes: problem/necessity, solution, and execution and leads them to new career pathways and job opportunities. James Howard serves as Executive Director of the Black Inventors Hall of Fame, (www.BIHOF.org) a virtual museum devoted to immortalizing African Americans whose noteworthy inventions have improved lives yet gone unnoticed. James also serves on the Board of Directors for the United States Intellectual Property Alliance, and recently assisted the National Inventors Hall of Fame to curate their very first Black Inventors exhibit Breaking Barriers. James was listed on the advisory panel for the American Institutes for Research, addressing the question, Does Race and Gender of the Patent Examiner Matter for Innovation? He is also the recent recipient of the TAGGIE award for his documentary film, The GATHERING, and the co-producer of the groundbreaking film, The Great Equalizer, examining fairness in the patent system. James has served as a subject matter expert on Design thinking for the Keller Innovation Center at Princeton University. He is also a visiting lecturer for the University of Texas Center for Integrated Design. James earned a Master’s and Bachelor of Fine Arts – Industrial Design at the University of Illinois, Urbana, IL. James was recently awarded Honorary member of the National Academy of Inventors, and he served on the panel for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion in the innovation ecosystem. He is also a recent recipient of the Inspire Top 100 award. For the past two years, James has served as a keynote speaker for various USTPO Black History Month symposiums.