Alumna Returns to Villanova Law to Support Students in Finding Career Success
November 14, 2025—Villanova Law's Assistant Dean for Career Strategy and Advancement, Ashanti Crawford ’10, has kept close ties with her alma mater since earning her JD.
She has consistently served on the executive boards of several alumni organizations, including the Villanova Law Alumni Association, the Minority Alumni Society and the J. Willard O’Brien American Inn of Court. Additionally, she played a pivotal role as a steering committee member in establishing the Villanova Law Women’s Network. After spending years maintaining a strong alumni connection, she returned to Villanova Law as a staff member in 2024 to lead the Office of Career Strategy.
Villanova Law’s Office of Career Strategy provides career-planning education and individual counseling to support students. It also coordinates the recruitment of Villanova Law students by legal employers. In her role, Crawford finds authentic ways to connect students with employment opportunities—an essential part of a student’s law school and post-graduate success. Her day-to-day includes programmatic planning (such as student/employer events and mentoring and networking opportunities), student counseling sessions and staying attuned to the legal job market.
“I understand and empathize with the intricacies law students face in navigating the legal employment space,” she said. "I enjoy helping them explore tools and tactics to chart a career path.”
Crawford’s interest in mentorship and legal recruitment began before she even applied to law school, when she spent almost three years as the senior career center manager for Duke University School of Law. After law school, she began her career as a general commercial litigation associate. She eventually transitioned to law firm and in-house recruiting, becoming manager of legal talent recruiting for the firm now known as Troutman Pepper Locke LLP. In this role, she mentored students from various law schools and supported them in their career journeys.
At Villanova Law, Crawford focuses on building a rapport with students and faculty and helping the Office of Career Strategy serve as the “go-to” for ever-evolving career questions. The Office strives to create resources that are easily digestible and accessible to students, whether through its newsletter, events, online platform or one-on-one counseling.
Reflecting on her own career journey, Crawford says considering the opportunity to join Villanova Law's Office of Career Strategy was a ‘no-brainer.’ It is a perfect alignment of my dedication to my alma mater, my passion for supporting students and my professional background, experience and training, all serving as tools to help others."