Traevena Byrd will be the University’s next vice president and general counsel starting April 9, University President Sylvia Burwell announced Wednesday.
Byrd will “provide, manage, and coordinate all legal services for the University,” Burwell said in a campus-wide memo.
“Ms. Byrd’s authenticity and direct communication, in addition to her expertise, will make her an excellent leader of our legal department,” Burwell said in the memo.
Byrd is currently chief legal officer at Towson University in Maryland. In that role, she is a liaison to the Maryland Office of the Attorney General.
Byrd previously worked at the University of Iowa and Ithaca College. She has also served as director of the Commission on the Status of African-Americans for the State of Iowa Department of Human Rights, according to the memo.
“President Burwell's leadership inspires me, and I am honored to have the opportunity to be a part of the exciting and meaningful change that will positively shape AU for years to come,” Byrd said in the memo.
She will take over for Bethany Bridgham, who has served in the position since July 2017.
