Alumni Spotlight: Breandan Ward (EMPA 2018)
Breandan Ward (MPA 2018), Leadership Coach, Consultant, and Adjunct Professor
What initially led you to NYU Wagner, and what has inspired you to continue at NYU as an adjunct?
After 15 years in investment banking, I wanted to refocus my work and studies on the two topics that had become huge sources of motivation and interest for me: disability inclusion and leadership development. While not traditionally seen as intersecting, I was increasingly convinced that disability was an ideal sandbox in which leaders could learn and grow from encounters with uncertainty and difference. After an inspiring introduction to NYU Wagner by my EMPA and now adjunct colleague Amy Auton-Smith, I was drawn to Wagner’s EMPA program because of its emphasis on leadership that is inclusive and innovative, both qualities I consider essential for meaningful change.
During my Executive MPA studies, I was deeply inspired by Wagner's interdisciplinary approach to tackling complex social challenges. The opportunity to engage with peers from diverse professional and cultural backgrounds sharpened my ability to navigate nuanced governance and policy issues. Continuing at NYU as an adjunct allows me to pay forward the invaluable lessons I’ve gained by equipping students with the tools to lead inclusively. It also aligns with my belief that education can be a powerful driver of systemic change, especially when we incorporate lived experience and diverse perspectives into more authentic and impactful leadership practices. Alongside my colleague Anita Kishore, I am also one of the leadership coaches in the Executive MPA program and thoroughly enjoy this opportunity to continue shaping and supporting our Executive leaders.
What courses do you teach? How have your experiences motivated you to share your knowledge in these areas?
I teach the class “Disability, Policy and Leadership – Building an Accessible World” in the Spring semester where we focus on accessibility, inclusive leadership, and the intersection of disability and emotional intelligence. My lived experience of sight loss, paired with a 15-year career in investment banking, has given me a unique understanding of the challenges and opportunities involved in creating inclusive teams, systems and change management. For example, leading global teams at Morgan Stanley taught me the importance of adaptability, creativity, and collaboration, particularly in creating environments that are welcoming, hospitable, accessible and generative for diverse employees, customers and stakeholders. I have also applied these principles in my consulting and advocacy roles, helping organizations design solutions centred on the voices of their customers, especially those with disabilities. Teaching at Wagner allows me to share these experiences and inspire future leaders to embrace inclusion as a foundation for innovation, performance and impact.
What inspired you to pursue your advocacy roles outside of teaching?
My advocacy is rooted in the understanding that inclusion and accessibility are not just ideals but are essential to effective leadership and impactful change. My personal journey of navigating work environments reliant on sight while experiencing progressive sight loss has driven my passion for systemic change. Early in my career, I recognized how exclusionary practices often result from a lack of awareness and an abundance of fear, which fuelled my desire to advocate for change. In my past roles, I witnessed how intentional efforts to raise awareness and improve accessibility can transform both culture and outcomes. Today, I bring this perspective to my work with organizations like Open Inclusion, Fighting Blindness Ireland and start-ups developing assistive technologies, where I advocate for participatory design and practices that demonstrate the principle “Nothing About Us Without Us.”
As a student, which courses, initiatives, or skills gained during your time at Wagner have proven to be the most impactful in your work?
Wagner equipped me with practical leadership tools and an expansive understanding of governance and reform. Courses in negotiation skills, public policy, and strategic leadership provided a solid framework for navigating organizational and systemic challenges. The focus on stakeholder engagement and measurable outcomes continues to guide my work, whether I’m delivering leadership coaching to nonprofit or corporate leaders, consulting on accessibility strategies, or advancing disability inclusion initiatives. Wagner’s emphasis on collaborative problem-solving also inspired me to establish peer support groups within the sight loss community, which foster shared learning and cross-sector partnerships. These experiences underscore the power of inclusion and the importance of amplifying underrepresented voices.
What impact do you hope your work makes?
I hope my work fosters a world where accessibility and inclusion are intrinsic to how we operate, not afterthoughts. Whether designing strategies for organizations, coaching future leaders, or advising start-ups, my goal is to inspire transformative change that elevates marginalized voices and breaks down barriers. By embedding inclusive practices into leadership development, policymaking, research and design, I aim to empower organizations to deliver scalable, sustainable impact. I’m particularly motivated by the potential of cross-sector collaboration to unlock innovative solutions that benefit not just people with disabilities, but society as a whole. Ultimately, I want to ensure that lived experience is central to shaping policies and practices that affect us all. For me, seeing leadership, performance and impact through a diversity and inclusion lens means there is no “other,” there is just “us.”
How has your personal journey or experience shaped your perspective on inclusive and sustainable practices, particularly related to disability?
My personal journey with sight loss has profoundly shaped my understanding of inclusion. I feel that life, work, and play with a disability means I’m part of a living case study where I get to learn, be challenged, be frustrated, and be delighted by the endless supply of new and diverse encounters. For example, I’ve experienced firsthand how barriers—both societal and systemic—impact every facet of life, from education and employment to health care, culture, sport, business and urban design. This perspective drives my belief in addressing disability holistically, recognizing that it is shaped not only by individual factors but also by societal structures and attitudes. For example, my advocacy work consistently emphasizes the importance of engaging those with lived experience in designing policies, products, programs and solutions. By applying guiding principles such as measuring outcomes and fostering disclosure-supportive environments, I strive to create systems that are adaptable, equitable, and empowering. My work is guided by the conviction that true inclusion requires both listening to diverse voices and ensuring that resources are aligned to deliver tangible change. At the end of each day, my hope is that I have been able to show up as fully, as pragmatically and as persuasively as I can—and done my bit to help include more and lead better.