Beverly E. Ledbetter - 1998
Beverly E. Ledbetter, of Rhode Island. Beverly Ledbetter has been General Counsel of Brown University since 1978 and Vice President and General Counsel since 1983. Prior to that, she served as Legal Counsel to the University of Oklahoma and as Special Counsel (Economic and General Welfare) to the Oklahoma State Nurses Association.
In addition to her job as Brown’s legal counsel, Ms. Ledbetter has found time to involve herself in numerous community and national organizations. She currently is serving as General Counsel of the Educational Advancement Foundation; as a trustee of Bryant College; as a member of the Civil Justice Advisory Group, United States District Court for the District of Rhode Island; and as a faculty member of the Management Development Program and of the Institute for School Law, both at Harvard University. She is a member of the Board of Fellows, Rhode Island Bar Foundation and of the Board of Directors, Girl Scouts of Rhode Island. Ms. Ledbetter is the recipient of the Minority Counsel Award from the American Bar Association.
Ms. Ledbetter is a former judge for the Providence Housing Court; a past member of the NCAA Committee on Infractions; a former member of the Board of Advisors, Institute for Educational Management, Harvard University; and a former member of the Board of Trustees of the American College Testing Program.
Equally as impressive are her NACUA contributions and achievements. Ms. Ledbetter was a member of the Board of Directors in one capacity or another from 1979-1994. She became an officer in 1986 and served as President of the Association 1991-92, the second woman and the first African-American to do so.
Ms. Ledbetter has been a member of nearly every NACUA Committee, serving as Chair of Articles and Bylaws (1985-1987), Program (1989-1990), Nominations (1992-1992), and Honors and Awards (1993-1994). She was co-chair of the first CLE program ever sponsored by NACUA, thus setting in motion a service that has since become one of the Association’s cornerstones. This past year, she completed a two-year appointment representing NACUA in the ABA House of Delegates.
The NACUA Distinguished Service Award is being given to Beverly E. Ledbetter for her long and faithful service to higher education and to the National Association of College and University Attorneys. Her achievements, accomplishments, and dedication have brought distinction to our profession and to our Association. NACUA is pleased to recognize and honor Ms. Ledbetter with the Distinguished Service Award for her many years of service on behalf of the Association and institutions of higher education.