Dr. Vanda Seward is currently the Criminal Justice Program Director and Professor of Criminal Justice at the City University of New York, Kingsborough Community College.  Dr. Seward is retired from the Kings (Brooklyn) County District Attorney’s Office where she spearheaded the County Re-entry Taskforce. Prior to accepting her second position at the District Attorney’s Office. Dr. Vanda Seward held the position of Statewide Director of Reentry Services for New York State Department of Corrections and Community Supervision (Parole) in this capacity she was responsible for ensuring that there are resources and services readily available for persons under parole supervision in the State of New York. She is the former Executive Director of the Kings County District Attorney’s Office ComALERT program which is the first full-service reentry program run under the guidance of a prosecutors’ office. She has also worked at several non-profit organizations.

Dr. Seward has been serving “high risk” populations that are criminal justice involved for well over 30+ years.  Her extensive experience expands to providing services and linkages to men, women and adolescents suffering from mental illness, substance abuse, homelessness, unemployment, literacy and HIV and AIDS.  Dr. Seward is an advocate for criminal justice reform and believes that people and systems have the capacity to change.

She received her PhD in Criminal Justice from Capella University dissertation “Examining the Community’s Response to Their Formerly Incarcerated Neighbors”.   She is a graduate of Iona College where she holds a Master of Science in Criminal Justice and is also a graduate of The College of New Rochelle where she holds a B.A. Degree. Prior to teaching at CUNY, she was an adjunct professor at the College of New Rochelle has twelve years. In addition to writing several publications, and engaging in several speaking engagements across the country, Dr. Seward has received many rewards and aculeate for her work within the criminal justice arena.

 Dr. Seward is a Bronx native, a product of the NYC Board of Education system and New York City Housing Authority. She is a mother, grandmother, and in 2020 became a widow after 28 years of marriage.