Florence Ladd (born June 16, 1932) is the Director Emeritus of the

Bunting Institute The Radcliffe Institute for Advanced Study at Harvard University—also known as the Harvard Radcliffe Institute—is a part of Harvard University that fosters interdisciplinary research across the humanities, sciences, social sciences, arts, a ...

and the author of the novel ''Sarah's Psalm''.

Biography

Ladd was born in Washington, D.C. Her parents were both educators and she grew up in Washington, D.C. She attended

Howard University Howard University (Howard) is a private, federally chartered historically black research university in Washington, D.C. It is classified among "R2: Doctoral Universities – High research activity" and accredited by the Middle States Commissi ...

, graduating in 1953 and then the

University of Rochester The University of Rochester (U of R, UR, or U of Rochester) is a private research university in Rochester, New York. The university grants undergraduate and graduate degrees, including doctoral and professional degrees. The University of Roc ...

, earning a Ph.D. in psychology in 1958. Ladd began her academic career teaching at

Simmons College Institutions of learning called Simmons College or Simmons University include: * Simmons University, a women's liberal arts college in Boston, Massachusetts * Simmons College of Kentucky, a historically black college in Louisville, Kentucky * Har ...

in Boston. She then taught at

Harvard University Harvard University is a private Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636 as Harvard College and named for its first benefactor, the Puritan clergyman John Harvard, it is the oldest institution of higher le ...

's graduate school. In 1977, began working at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT) where she became involved with administration and served as dean at the MIT School of Architecture. She was the dean of students at

Wellesley College Wellesley College is a private women's liberal arts college in Wellesley, Massachusetts, United States. Founded in 1870 by Henry and Pauline Durant as a female seminary, it is a member of the original Seven Sisters Colleges, an unofficial g ...

until 1984. Ladd left academia for a time, working at

Oxfam America Oxfam is a British-founded confederation of 21 independent charitable organizations focusing on the alleviation of global poverty, founded in 1942 and led by Oxfam International. History Founded at 17 Broad Street, Oxford, as the Oxford Co ...

as well as the South African Education Program for the

Institute of International Education The Institute of International Education (IIE) is a 501(c) organization which focuses on international student exchange and aid, foreign affairs, and international peace and security. IIE creates programs of study and training for students, educa ...

and the

School for International Training The School for International Training, widely known by its initials SIT, is a private non-profit regionally-accredited institution headquartered in Brattleboro, Vermont, United States. The institution has two main divisions. SIT Graduate Instit ...

. In 1989, she became the director of the Bunting Institute at Harvard University, a position she held until 1997. She is now Director Emeritus. In 1994, she served on the executive committee for the conference Black Women in the Academy: Defending Our Name 1894-1994 held at MIT. In 1996, Ladd's novel ''Sarah's Psalm'' was published by

Charles Scribner's Sons Charles Scribner's Sons, or simply Scribner's or Scribner, is an American publisher based in New York City, known for publishing American authors including Henry James, Ernest Hemingway, F. Scott Fitzgerald, Kurt Vonnegut, Marjorie Kinnan Rawli ...

. It won the 1997

Black Caucus of the American Library Association The Black Caucus of the American Library Association (BCALA) is an affiliate of the American Library Association (ALA) that focuses on the needs of African Americans, African American library professionals by promoting careers in librarianship, ...

's literary award for fiction. In 1998 Ladd was the recipient of a MacDowell fellowship. In 2008, Stephen E. Coit painted Ladd's portrait. It hangs in

Lowell House Lowell House is one of twelve undergraduate residential Houses at Harvard University, located at 10 Holyoke Place facing Mount Auburn Street between Harvard Yard and the Charles River. Officially, it is named for the Lowell family, but an orna ...

at Harvard.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Ladd, Florence 1932 births Living people People from Washington, D.C. 20th-century African-American women 20th-century African-American people