The Woman Behind It All
Dr. Valerie Overton Howard— public servant with transformative leadership experience in building healthier communities and strengthening organizational systems. She is a dynamic force in mental health advocacy, inspirational leadership, and community empowerment. She is renowned for her innovative, passionate and interagency approach to tackling complex societal issues such as poverty, addiction, suicide, mental health stigma and has pioneered multiple undertakings along with rallies leading her to Washington DC.
A Qualified Mental Health Specialist, Peer Support Specialist, Success Coach and Mentor, and published author, Dr. Howard has reached audiences in Alaska and conducted book tours around the United States. After the murder of her covenant son, then losing 30 individuals within a year, including her mother January 2021 and aunt February 2021, Dr. Howard rose above the trauma and turned her pain into purpose. She has written It All Came Tumbling Down: Considerations on How to Deal with Grief, Trauma, and Loss, ‘Disappointed Parents’, other published materials with additional mental health tools and children’s books forthcoming in 2026.
Dr. Howard’s partnerships with figures such as Dr. Church, Mayor Frank Whitfield, Mayor Jack Bradley, and leaders from the Urban League, YWCA, MHARS Board, Lorain County Community College and nationwide executives have elevated educational and social support programs. She intertwines social emotional learning and trauma informed care, while facilitating her impactful workshops. These intergenerational sessions are geared towards strengthening families, grief-trauma, life skills, marital enrichment, and youth endeavors, emphasizing self-love and empowerments within judicial systems and spanning across the U.S.
Co-founder of Gods Kngdom Ministries since 2003 in Lorain, Ohio, and has pioneered numerous local and state initiatives along with raising thousands upon thousands of dollars to advance communal rehabilitation. Her coalition, Joining Forces to Save Lives, brings together political leaders, law enforcement, mental health professionals, and faith communities to address the growing mental health and addiction crisis exacerbated by the COVID-19 pandemic and other traumatic circumstances. Dr. Howard continues to impact lives through advocacy, education, and faith-driven projects, inspiring hope and revolution in communities nationwide.
Dr. Howard is also the creative mind behind Just Keeping It Real, a widely viewed media show that fosters honest dialogue on controversial social topics. As the founder of Releasing the Sound Productions and Love of Elizabeth, she merges artistic expression with social outreach, regardless of one’s socioeconomic status. She also leads efforts that support people experiencing health inequities, marginalized populations, underrepresented minorities, those facing systemic barriers and vulnerable populations through wellness endeavors, food distribution, shelter, and creative engagement.
Her trailblazing leadership includes the first-ever HBCU College Fair, Mental Health Conference for Men, and the original mental health stage play written and directed by Dr. Howard, The FaCe in Lorain County—all of which received widespread community participation, televised coverage and media recognition.
Her accolades include the Voices of Courage Award (NCNW), Bright Light Award (MWW), First Lady of the Year (NANBPWC), and Trailblazer Award (Black River Career Prep High School), where her strategies helped boost graduation rates by 90%. She has also been nominated among the most influential women in Lorain County. Dr. Valerie Overton Howard relishes the upcoming opportunity to pursue her lifelong dream of establishing an orphanage in Africa January 2026. She continues to be a voice of hope, healing, and transformation, inspiring through advocacy, education, creativity, and unwavering faith. Dr. Howard, a celebrated leader and activist is acknowledged for cultivating change and has made a profound impact as a mental health advocate, inspirational leader, and stands as a testament to over three decades of tireless work in nonprofit leadership and as an entrepreneur.