Kawanna Leggett

Kawanna Leggett, Ed.D., senior vice president for Student Affairs, is an accomplished, justice-oriented student development leader whose background as a student advocate resonates with LMU’s Catholic, Jesuit, and Marymount mission to elevate the LMU student experience and inspire the community. She oversees Campus Recreation and Student Facilities, Ethnic and Intercultural Services, LMU CARES, Off Campus Student Life, the Office for International Students and Scholars, the Office of Student Conduct and Community Responsibility, the Pam Rector Center for Service and Action, Recovery, Student Employment Services, Student Health Services, Student Housing, Student Leadership and Development, Student Psychological Services, and Student Success.

She is the former associate vice chancellor of Student Affairs at Washington University in St. Louis, where she oversaw Residential Life and Housing, Conference Services, Student Transitions and Family Programs, and the Faculty Fellows in Residence Program. She was responsible for a budget of $54 million, housing for 5,300 students, and management of 41 central staff employees, 70 housekeepers, and over 150 student staff. Prior to that, she served as interim associate vice chancellor for Student Transition and Engagement and dean of students, where her portfolio included Fraternity and Sorority Life, Student Involvement, Student Conduct and Community Standards, and the First Year Center, among others. While SVP Leggett’s background within student affairs is comprehensive, her credentials also reveal her commitments to collaborating with academic colleagues as part of an integrated approach to delivering the student experience.

Before joining WashU, SVP Leggett served as the director of Residential Education at UC Berkeley, where she led the development of strategy, goals, and objectives for residential education through inclusive and diverse student residence programming and operations. Forging robust relationships, SVP Leggett successfully collaborated to enhance a range of initiatives, which included improving their living-learning communities, advancing theme housing programs, addressing housing occupancy growth, and improving emergency operations response. At New York University, SVP Leggett was instrumental in caring for student residents by handling sensitive issues related to alcohol and drug use, campus climate, and mental health crises. Working closely with the NYU Global Affairs team, she helped support the student life experiences of NYU Shanghai and NYU DC. SVP Leggett was recognized with the NYU Give a Violet Award for going above and beyond the scope of her position and demonstrating exceptional performance of everyday responsibilities.

SVP Leggett earned her Doctor of Education degree from the University of Missouri–St. Louis, her master’s degree in higher education administration from the University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, and her bachelor’s degree in political science from Clemson University in South Carolina. SVP Leggett embraces collaboration with student development colleagues through her service in regional and national professional organizations. She has also presented on a variety of topics ranging from the first-year student experience to crisis management. In a volunteer capacity, SVP Leggett has a wide range of association work. In January 2019, she began a three-year term to the executive board of the Association of College and University Housing Officers – International (ACUHO-I), as the workforce development director. Outside of her professional pursuits, SVP Leggett enjoys music, professional and collegiate sports, running, traveling, spending time with family, and coaching youth track.