Aniya Sutton Ward is a Senior Solutions Specialist with Grand River Solutions. Aniya previously served as the Title IX coordinator and EEO/Title IX investigator for four years at Winston-Salem State University, where she oversaw the Title IX and EEO office’s day-to-day functions while conducting Title IX EEO investigations involving faculty, staff, and students. Before working at Winston-Salem State University, Aniya served as the ADA counselor and Title IX investigator at Lenoir Community College in North Carolina. In conjunction with serving as a staff member within the higher education community, Aniya also worked as an adjunct instructor of liberal arts. Her experience and formal education provided an extensive understanding of compliance-related issues in the higher education system. Aniya assisted with creating opportunities to foster and develop partnerships with valuable stakeholders of interest.

As the Title IX coordinator and EEO Investigator at Winston-Salem State University, Aniya was instrumental in creating a Title IX office that was transferred from under the umbrella of student services and human resources. This process provided the campus with a college-wide equitable process that reinforced best practices that reflected policy enforcement. Aniya was active in Title IX process creation and implantation, university training, policy creation, and revisions in this role. At Winston-Salem State University, Aniya credits herself and the Office of Title IX with gaining the university’s support for the campus-wide campaign “IX on your Side.” The university’s more profound understanding of Title IX and its functions increased actively participating and reporting from all university members. Serving as the university investigator, Aniya assisted with the Title IX office by being a recipient of the National HEED (Higher Education Excellence in Diversity) award for two consecutive years. She also devised and established an online Title IX platform to expand the department’s reach to subjects that may encounter any violations of civil rights. Lastly, she Orchestrated and organized the North Carolina Against Sexual Assault HBCU Grant and established a productive partnership with Forsyth County Family Services.

Aniya received her Masters of Counseling from Liberty University, her Master of Adult Education from Walden University, Graduate Certifications in Women’s and Gender Studies from the University of North Carolina at Greensboro, and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science and English from Winston-Salem State University.