Rashan Legard

Rashan Legard is an Executive Trainer, Consultant, Poet, and Survivor Advocate who strongly desires to create change in organizational Cultures. He is a sexual assault survivor who shares his experiences to empower others. His unique method of storytelling brings awareness to help change the culture for survivors.

Through his company, Rashan Legard Speaks LLC, he is able to get his message to a broader audience by providing training and consulting services to organizations. By focusing on Equal Employment Opportunities, Ethics, Sexual Assault, and Harassment issues, which enables him to help organizations improve their training and effectiveness while also bringing awareness to these critical issues. Overall, Rashan Legard's work is essential to the ongoing efforts to create safer and more equitable workplaces.

Rashan Legard is also a recognized trainer within the Difference Makers (10 Strong) community of trainers. He has honed his skills as a servant leader through extensive education on Veterans with mental health diagnoses and volunteering with organizations of diverse cultures and ethnicities. Additionally, Rashan has received comprehensive training on the experiences of the BIPOC (Black Indigenous People of Color) community within the LGBTQ+ community, which has helped him to advocate for survivors and understand the stigma from multiple cultural perspectives.

Originally from Lorain, Ohio, Rashan learned the importance of perseverance at a young age in the face of adversity. He earned his bachelor’s degree in communications and Broadcast from Central State University in Wilberforce, Ohio, in 2011. Following his graduation, Rashan enlisted in the U.S. Army and was assigned to the 3rd Brigade, 25th Infantry Division, Special Troops Battalion (STB) at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii. However, his life was forever changed when he became a victim of sexual assault.

Following his traumatic experience of sexual assault, Rashan Legard was driven to become a voice for change. He and his team of Bowie University Cadets founded "Spoken Words of Pain," a platform that has positively impacted the Department of Defense. Rashan has since taken his story and spoken word performances to various organizations nationwide to address unhealthy attitudes and unethical behaviors. His innovative approach to expression has given not only his trauma but also the experiences of other survivors a voice. Furthermore, his practice has given leaders a new perspective on how trauma and a lack of awareness can affect organizations.

Rashan Legard has served honorably in the Army, initially as a Chemical, Biological, Radiological, and Nuclear (CBRN) Specialist in 2012. In 2015, he enrolled in Ohio State University ROTC program while pursuing a second degree in Social Work. In 2019, Rashan graduated Magna Cum Laude and was Commissioned back into the Army as a Branched Quartermaster. He attained the rank of 1LT before medically retiring in 2022.