Rosalind Ekman Ladd was born in Manchester, NH on October 13, 1933. She acquired a BA in English from Wheaton College and graduated in 1955. By 1962, she had obtained a MA and PhD from Brown University in Philsophy. In 1963, she married John Ladd, an ethics professor at Brown. She became an Associate Professor at Wheaton College in 1967, was granted tenure in 1970, and was granted full professorship in 1974. She taught classes mostly centered in Ethics and Medical Ethics, including classes entitled: Medical Ethics, the Rights of Children, Philosophical Issues and Women's Health, and Philosophical Issues in Mental Illness. Her writings and conference talks often centered around these topics. She also taught classes relating to Ancient Philosophy, Philosophy and Literature, and Feminist Philosophy. She was chair of the Philosophy Department multiple times during her time at Wheaton. A colleague of Rosalind's noted that she was "very engaged with the life of a philosopher" and did not see philosophy "as simply a job, but as an identity." This colleague noted that she often had students lining up outside of her door and she was extremely dedicated to helping students understand course material. Throughout her time at Wheaton, she also co-taught biomedical classes at Brown University. After retiring from Wheaton in 2001, she continued teaching classes at Brown. Ladd died on October 6, 2023.

Note written with the consultation of Rosalind Ekman Ladd's obituary, Wheaton College Faculty Records, and an interview with Wheaton College Professor Nancy Kendrick.