There was a time not so long ago where people would—gasp—answer the phone despite not knowing who was calling.
Before the days of caller ID and texting, Traevena Byrd spent some of her time as a University of Iowa law student supervising a team of undergraduates who called admitted applicants welcoming them to campus and, when necessary, making the case for why they should enroll.
For Byrd, who earned her Juris Doctor in 1997, those conversations were deeper than admissions recruitment. For a former foster child whose own life had been transformed by education, each phone call was another opportunity to help someone else begin a journey that could change theirs.
“I felt like I was in a role where I had some positive influence or impact in helping a young person along their way to wherever it was going to lead them,” Byrd said.
That fundamental belief in the power of education has guided her career as a lawyer ever since.
Today, Byrd brings that same sense of purpose to her position as the George Washington University's new vice president and general counsel, a role she started earlier this month. After serving in senior legal leadership positions at Ithaca College, Towson University and, most recently, as vice president and general counsel of American University, Byrd has built a career helping colleges and universities navigate complex legal issues during a time of rapid change.
Byrd served nine years as a board member of the National Association of College and University Attorneys' Board of Directors, including six years as an officer.
Her work, she said, has always been rooted in the larger mission of helping institutions deliver on the transformative promise of higher education. Whether she's reviewing documentation, advising leadership or navigating difficult policy questions, Byrd sees her role as helping institutions create conditions for community members to thrive.
“Every single thing that the university does has a legal component. If a student wants to study abroad, there have to be contracts and agreements in place,” said Byrd, who now oversees GW’s Office of the General Counsel. “There are all kinds of ways that lawyers touch different issues that ultimately have a direct, positive impact on students.”
Byrd found herself particularly inspired by GW’s focus on building a “path to preeminence,” as outlined in the university’s strategic framework launched in fall 2025. As higher education faces myriad legal, political and financial pressures, Byrd was drawn to GW’s forward-thinking approach and determination to build toward its future.
“It signals to the world that GW intends to leverage its strengths and opportunities to position itself for greatness and to be recognized globally as a premier institution,” Byrd said. “GW is not simply trying to survive the challenges of the current higher ed environment, we want to thrive and be preeminent, and we will be if we take advantage of this moment to create new approaches to innovation and problem-solving.”
Byrd succeeds Charles Barber, who provided more than two decades’ worth of legal leadership at GW, including the last five as the vice president and general counsel.
Her experience as a higher education attorney, especially within the capital region, stood out to university leaders.
“I look forward to working closely with Traevena as our new vice president and general counsel,” President Ellen M. Granberg said. “She brings both higher education experience and a deep understanding of the District’s complex regulatory environment. Traevena’s strategic approach to legal leadership will ensure we manage risks effectively while continuing to advance our institutional priorities and Strategic Framework.”
Byrd believes one of a general counsel's greatest responsibilities is helping institutions make thoughtful decisions, even when there isn't a clear-cut answer. She sees lawyers as facilitators of problem-solving, bringing together the right people, information and perspectives to help leaders arrive at fair and informed decisions.
She has been a voice on national issues including free expression, academic freedom and student protests. While Byrd acknowledges those conversations often involve competing values, she believes consistency, transparency and context are essential to building trust within a campus community, often presenting real-world examples to test a policy or decision. Her approach is to create a process grounded in shared principles to explain not only what decision was made, but why.
“When you broaden the conversation and bring everything to the table, not just the specific issue you're talking about, you can say, ‘OK, here's the set of rules, let's apply them to these other situations as well,’” she said.
Byrd believes relationship building plays a critical role in executing such a strategy, and she is eager to meet the GW community during her first few months on campus. By learning the culture and understanding what constituents’ concerns are, she said she can figure out how she and her office can be most helpful and effective.
“I'm especially looking forward to getting out more, talking to faculty and engaging directly with students,” Byrd said. “You'd be shocked how much that has informed my practice over the years. It's made me aware of different concerns and perspectives that have helped me provide better legal advice to people trying to solve problems that affect students.”
Even when she’s not working, connecting with others is at the heart of nearly everything Byrd does. When they are not traveling to visit their grandchildren, she and her husband enjoy visiting different countries and immersing themselves in other cultures. And oftentimes, she’ll scroll through her phone contacts to see which person in her life she hasn’t touched base with for a while and call them on the way home just to see how they are doing.
“If they have time to talk, great. If not, they'll call me back. But they'll know I was thinking about them in that moment,” said Byrd, who also has time for any conversation involving her beloved Denver Broncos.
The technology has changed since Byrd’s law school days. Her belief in communication and the transformational power of education has not.
