A Legacy of leadership: Clifford McLeod’s impact at Bowen

June 2-8, 2025

By Felisha Weaver

Transformative leadership is not a cliché to Clifford McLeod, it’s his legacy. The outgoing Student Bar Association (SBA) president and May 2025 graduate of the William H. Bowen School of Law, McLeod hopes to be remembered as the type of person that didn’t wait for others to do something when he could.

McLeod is known on campus for his leadership and advocacy for others. “I’ve never seen a better student leader in 20 years,” said Colin Crawford, dean of the law school. That’s quite the compliment for this honor grad who almost didn’t come to law school.

Calling South Bend, Indiana home, McLeod grew up in a family that valued education. His mother is a college professor, his father a chemist, his sister is completing a Ph.D. and his brother holds a master’s degree in biology. With a family steeped in academic achievement, Clifford was encouraged to pursue education, but he admits that growing up, academics weren’t his primary focus.

“I didn’t care so much about school because I received so much education outside of school—through libraries, documentaries, and reading anything I could get my hands on,” McLeod said. Athletics, however, played a significant role in his formative years. A multi-sport athlete, he gravitated toward soccer and wrestling, but he played nearly every sport available, from basketball to golf. Coaches, more than teachers, pushed him to excel, and that’s where he focused his efforts.

After high school, McLeod attended Lincoln University in Missouri before transferring to Philander Smith College in Little Rock, where he earned a degree in Political Science in 2015. His leadership abilities emerged during his undergraduate years as he became involved in student government, Greek life, and mentoring programs.

McLeod spent his post-college years in a series of jobs as he searched for a career that fit his passion. After interning at the Little Rock Central National Historic Site, he went on to spend 5 years as a high school teacher and coach. “I loved coaching, and I liked teaching, and I was great at both,” he said. But he knew there was no ability to advance his career.

McLeod, who had once dreamed of running political campaigns after college, knew he would need to further his education. He grappled with the decision to either go to grad school to become a museum curator, something he enjoyed during his internship, or get his law degree. But ultimately, he decided, “If I was going back to school to get a degree, I was going to get one that was worth it.”

With acceptances from numerous law schools across the country, McLeod chose Bowen because of its affordability and scholarship offer. And he knew he would make the most of his time there. During his first year, he met a 2L student named Paige that changed the trajectory of his experience. “She gave me the blueprint for how to get involved here and really make your mark.”

And so, he did. During his time at Bowen, McLeod was involved in numerous student organizations, often in leadership roles, including Black Law Students Association (BLSA), Phi Alpha Delta fraternity (PAD), Moot Court Competition Team, and the Student Bar Association (SBA), which he served as president of during his final year.

Committed to serving others, he hopes his presidency will impact the school for generations to come. Formerly viewed by many students as a “glorified prom committee,” McLeod came with a vision to expand student-led decisions that would change the student experience. When asked what he was most proud of as president, he mentioned not only the improvement in the reputation of SBA, but also the work they did toward solving issues Bowen students were facing, such as access to insurance and childcare; and a budget proposal to increase the SBA budget which will allow students more opportunities to attend conferences, host mock trial and moot court competitions, and host symposiums. The proposal will go before the Board of Trustees for approval. If approved, future students will benefit from his hard work.

“My time at Bowen taught me that you have to be capable of working with others that think differently than you, but we are all capable of it,” McLeod said. He credits Professor Anastasia Boles and Assistant Dean Rejena Grotjohn with guiding him over the years. “They took their time to mentor me and were instrumental at my time at Bowen,” McLeod added.

He plans to continue to make communities better places and has accepted a position at Mitchell Williams where he will focus on municipal bonds, an area of law he learned about while clerking there. “Municipal bonds are tools we can use to raise up the state. It’s how we can bring jobs and prosperity to Arkansas.”

And with his leadership experience and dreams of making our state better through his work, McLeod has already set his sights on continuing the legacy of great leadership he began at Bowen and hopes to be mayor of Little Rock one day.

“I’ve always had a vision bigger than myself. And with that kind of vision, it’s easy to be brave,” McLeod said.  

Felisha Weaver is the Director of Communications & Public Relations at UA Little Rock William H. Bowen School of Law.

Photo Caption:

Clifford McLeod 

Photo Credit:

(Larry Rhodes)