LaWanda Ward

Professional Bio

LaWanda M.W. Ward is a higher education legal scholar committed to African Diaspora liberation. Ward’s research examines how multiply marginalized faculty experience tenure denial lawsuits, the violence of free speech theory interpretations on Black students in campus communities, and the (im) possibilities of global legal justice. Ward’s commitment to social justice, equity, and inclusion within higher education is influenced by her family of educators from Henning, Tennessee. Her mother, a 1st-grade teacher for almost 30 years, marched during the Civil Rights Movement.

For over 20 years before joining the professoriate, Ward served as a student affairs educator in various roles. She was introduced to higher education administration as a residence life graduate assistant and later as a residence hall director at Illinois State University and Old Dominion University. As Director of Pro Bono & Public Interest at her alma mater, Indiana University McKinney School of Law, Ward coached law students and alumni seeking traditional and non-traditional legal careers. Additionally, she established and maintained productive working relationships with community agencies to ensure law students received rewarding and challenging opportunities to gain pro bono experience.