Ella Howard

Ella Howard, Ph.D., Professor of History, teaches Digital History, Boston History, American History and American Studies. She is excited to be working on Wentworth's newest undergraduate major, Computer Science + Society, which will prepare students for a wide range of careers by training them to apply the skills of Computer Science, the Humanities, and Social Sciences to the problems of the world.

Howard’s book Homeless: Poverty and Place (University of Pennsylvania, 2013) traced the history of New York City’s Bowery as a skid row. Her current research focuses on the history of historic preservation as a form of exclusionary zoning, exploring the ways it has furthered gentrification and segregation by race and class, and evaluating strategies for inclusive preservation. A 2019 Dianne Woest Fellowship from The Historic New Orleans Collection allowed her to carry out extended research in New Orleans, a city at the heart of her current project, along with Savannah and Charleston.

Howard loves helping Wentworth students learn about the history of the built environment and the city of Boston. She believes that studying the past is key to understanding the present and building a better future.