Kimberly A. S. Howard
Chair, Counseling Psychology & Applied Human Development
Professor
Dr. Kimberly A. S. Howard is a professor and chair of the counseling psychology & applied human development department at BU Wheelock College of Education & Human Development. Dr. Howard’s research interests include the career development process of children and youth, particularly as it is shaped by social class, gender, and race/ethnicity. She is interested in factors that promote vocational development and resilience, and the reasoning processes used by children and youth to understand career development processes. Further, Dr. Howard studies STEM career development in children and youth.
Dr. Howard’s work has appeared in journals such as the Counseling Psychologist, Journal of Vocational Behavior, Journal of Career Development, and Journal of Applied Developmental Psychology. She has received over $2.5M of funding for her research, most recently serving as the PI on a four-year National Science Foundation ITEST grant investigating the role that a middle school network science and career development curriculum plays in advancing both science learning and STEM-related career goal formation.
In addition to being a Fellow of the Society of Counseling Psychology of the American Psychological Association, Dr. Howard is a member of the APA Coalition for Psychology in Schools and Education.
Pronouns: she/her
Recent News
In the Media
Education
PhD, Counseling Psychology, Boston College
MA, Counseling Psychology, Boston College
BA, Psychology, Johns Hopkins University
Research
NSF 19-583: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) (Role: PI) 2020-2024 “Collaborative Proposal: DTI: Network Science for All: Positioning High Need Youth for Success in Pursuing STEM Pathways”
Invest in Girls (Role: PI) 2019-2024 “A 5-Year Evaluation of the Invest in Girls (IIG) Financial Literacy Program for Girls”
NSF 09-506: Innovative Technology Experiences for Students and Teachers (ITEST) (Role: Co-PI) 2009-2014 “Society’s Grand Challenges in Engineering as a Context for Middle School Instruction in STEM: An ITEST Strategy Proposal”
Selected Publications
Howard, K.A.S & Bu, Z. (in press). Counseling Psychology in Schools. In L. Flores, C. DeBlaere, A. Pieterse, A. Singh, & L. Spanierman (Eds.), APA Handbook of Counseling Psychology, Second Edition.
Howard, K.A.S & Bu, Z. (in press). Children and Career Guidance in Education. In M. McMahon & N. Arthur (Eds.), Palgrave International Handbook of Career Guidance in Education.
Rodriguez, A., ^Flete, J., ^Erilus, I., †Xie, H., †Lue, S., Park, C., †Esquivel, L., †Enriquez, D., ^Oliver-Davila, A., Solberg, V.S.H., Howard, K.A.S., Trunfio, P. and Nardi, C. (2025). Using STEM Learning, STEM Career Development and Civic Engagement to Support Middle School Latinx Youth Becoming Future Ready. In L. Rivera, & M. Colon, (Eds). Critical Perspectives on Latino Education in Massachusetts. (pp. 264-280). Boston, MA: University of Massachusetts Press.
Park, C., Howard, K. A. S., & Solberg, V. S. H. (2025). Beyond the Basics: A Longitudinal Study of Young Women’s Financial Literacy Journey. Future Business Journal. 11:196. https://doi.org/10.1186/s43093-025-00620-9
Oliveira, I.M., Howard, K.A.S., Marques, C., Silva, A.D., & Taveira, M.C. (2024). Conceptions of Career Choice and Attainment in Portuguese Preschool and Elementary-School Children. International Journal for Educational and Vocational Guidance, Open Access, July 2024. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10775-024-09691-6
Howard, K.A.S., & Ferrari, L. (2022). Social Emotional Learning and Career Development in Elementary Settings. British Journal of Guidance and Counselling, 50(3), pp. 371-385, DOI: 10.1080/03069885.2021.1959898.