Sandra Ward

Sandra Ward has served as the Director of Grants for Goodwin University since 2018. In this role, she and the grants team partner with all areas of the university to secure resources that promote the institution's mission. The grants department manages over $8 million of federal, state, and private foundation funding. This role is Sandra's second at Goodwin, having worked over a decade ago as the founding director of the Human Services Program. She brings to her role 25+ years of experience in nonprofit and public-sector environments; including youth training and employment and positive youth development programs, K-12 and higher education, psychiatric treatment settings, and cultural arts programs. She has expertise in partnership development and strategic planning at the organizational and systems-level. Over the course of her career, Sandra has led and collaborated on the design and launch of several innovative community-based and culturally relevant initiatives in the Greater Hartford area including community schools, youth violence intervention programs, and training institutes for youth development professionals and middle-management human service professionals. She holds a BA in English Literature and African American Studies from Trinity College, an MA in Cultural Anthropology from Temple University and an MSW from the University of Connecticut with a focus on Policy and Planning and Administration.