Updated: June 2, 2026, at 7:35 p.m.
American University’s Traevena Byrd will serve as the University’s next vice president and general counsel effective Aug. 4, University President Ellen Granberg announced in a community email Tuesday.
Byrd currently serves as vice president, general counsel and board secretary at American — where she acts as the chief legal advisor to the university’s top officials and Board of Trustees — and frequently presents on issues like student protests and free speech for several higher education associations. The pick comes after current Vice President and General Counsel Charles Barber announced in January that he would step down June 30 after nearly 20 years on GW’s legal team, including five years as general counsel.
A University spokesperson said Barber has agreed to continue serving as general counsel until Byrd arrives in August.
Granberg said in the email the search advisory committee — which she unveiled in January to lead the search for a new general counsel — prioritized finding a candidate with experience navigating the “complexities” of university environments and cultivating partnerships that support the University’s mission.
“Throughout the interview process, Traevena impressed the committee with her sophisticated understanding of higher education, her ability to see the big picture and her desire to foster a more innovative culture at GW while understanding and managing the associated risks,” Granberg said in the Tuesday email.
During her time as general counsel at American, Byrd guided university researchers through President Donald Trump’s executive orders freezing federal research grants and limiting research projects, saying American was trying to comply with the law without unnecessarily limiting institutional freedom.
Byrd previously served as vice president and general counsel at Towson University, held various positions at Ithaca College and was director of the Commission on the Status of African Americans for the state of Iowa. She has also served on the accreditation commission for the International Association of Campus Law Enforcement Administrators and the Board of Directors for the National Association of College and University Attorneys.
Byrd did not immediately return a request for comment.
The general counsel leads GW’s Office of the General Counsel and provides legal guidance to University leadership amid legal challenges, the most recent of which includes a lawsuit a 2025 alum filed alleging discrimination after officials barred her from campus following her Columbian College of Arts & Sciences graduation speech calling on officials to divest from companies tied to Israel.
The announcement of Barber’s departure came amid ongoing discussions with the Department of Justice after an August investigation found GW violated civil rights law by failing to combat campus antisemitism and as officials navigated a lawsuit filed by a group of current and former students alleging officials mishandled antisemitism on campus and the continuing impact of Trump’s federal higher education policies.
A January release said Barber would be stepping down from his role on June 30. Barber assumed the permanent general counsel role in 2022 and served in the Office of the General Counsel since 1996. He said he will assume a short-term advisory role to assist Granberg and oversee a “smooth” transition after leaving the role until Dec. 31.
Granberg said in a January email to faculty and staff she launched the search committee co-chaired by Interim Vice Provost for Faculty Affairs Emily Hammond and Chief of Staff Scott Mory and consisting of two school deans, two vice presidents, two Board of Trustees members, the deputy general counsel and the Faculty Senate Executive Committee chair.
The January email said the University retained two consultants — Anastasia Crosswhite and Ellen Pennow — from executive search and leadership consulting firm Spencer Stuart to lead the search for a general counsel to manage GW’s long-term interests and champion innovation across GW’s mission.
Granberg said in the community email Barber and the rest of GW’s legal team built a strong foundation for navigating a higher education landscape that faces increasing “regulatory and budgetary pressure” and rapid change.
Barber told The Hatchet last month his decision to step down had nothing to do with the increasing legal challenges GW is facing both from the federal government and other suits, and he made the decision based on personal and professional timing to ensure a “thoughtful handoff” to new leadership.
“This transition is less about any singular moment and more about ensuring continuity and positioning the office well for what comes next,” Barber said.
This piece was updated to include comment from a University spokesperson.
