Beverly Sanford is the Vice President, Chief of Higher Learning Initiatives, and Secretary to the Board of Trustees at the Institute for Citizens & Scholars, where she oversees the organization’s work in higher education and fellowships.

Beverly has a career-long commitment to advancing the aims of higher education and public service, building bridges between the academy and other sectors, and telling compelling stories about institutions and people who embody higher education’s role in shaping both future citizens and the nation. Her portfolio includes programs that cultivate new generations of scholars, teachers, and leaders as well as initiatives to recenter civic preparedness in the higher education ecosystem. During her two decades with the organization, she has led internal communications, overseen programs, and shaped external communications strategy.

Previously, Beverly served as communications director for the president of the University at Buffalo and associate director of the UB Regional Institute, a public service initiative to engage faculty in Western New York’s governance and socioeconomic challenges. She earned her BA in English and business communications at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, followed by an MA and PhD coursework in American literature at the University at Buffalo.