Daniel Howard

I grew up on army bases scattered around the world, and attended Stanford University where I studied biology and graduated with distinction and honors. I then went on to Yale University where I received an M. Phil. and a Ph.D. While at Yale I met and fell in love with Jenifer Lichtenfels, and we have been married for more than 40 years. I spent most of my academic career at New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, New Mexico eventually becoming a Regents Professor and Chair of the Department of Biology. I left NMSU for five years to serve as Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences at the University of Colorado Denver, but returned in 2013 as Executive Vice President and Provost, the chief academic officer of the university. I retired from NMSU in 2018 to take up a life of farming and writing in Mesilla, New Mexico. When I am not writing or caring for my orchards, I enjoy long walks with my dogs and slow evenings in the kitchen with Jenifer, who joined me in retirement in 2020. Jenifer and I have two wonderful daughters, who are both physicians, following in the footsteps of their mother. We also have two grandchildren, who keep our sense of wonder alive.