Traevena Byrd

Traevena Byrd has served as Vice President, General Counsel and Board Secretary for American University in Washington, D.C., since 2018 ^[1]. She is a member of the President's cabinet and chief legal advisor to the university's executive officers and Board of Trustees. In that role she oversees the provision of legal services for the university, corporate governance, and board operations ^[1]. Her practice is centered on higher education law.

Before joining American University, Byrd served as Vice President and General Counsel at Towson University in Maryland. Earlier, she held roles at Ithaca College in New York, where she served as Title IX coordinator, EEO investigator, adjunct faculty member, and associate general counsel, and she previously served as Director of the Commission on the Status of African Americans for the State of Iowa ^[1]. She received her J.D. from the University of Iowa in 1997 ^[3].

Byrd is a frequent presenter on higher education legal issues, most notably on the subject of free speech and student protest, for higher education associations including NACUA, the Association for Student Conduct Administration, the American Council on Education, NASPA – Student Affairs Administrators in Higher Education, the National Association of College and University Business Officers, the College and University Professional Association for Human Resources, the Council of Graduate Schools, and the National Collegiate Athletic Association ^[1].

Byrd is completing her third term on the Board of Directors of the National Association of College and University Attorneys, serving as immediate past chair ^[2]. She previously served on the accreditation commission for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators. She also serves as Chair of the Children's Law Center in Washington, D.C., and as a member of the University of Iowa Dean's Advisory Board for the College of Arts and Sciences, and is an active member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc. ^[1].

Recognition

• Board of Directors — National Association of College and University Attorneys (NACUA) (2025) ^[2]