Staff Bios

Mr. Ward was appointed to the Senior Executive Service as the Assistant Deputy Director for Supply Reduction in the Office of National Drug Control Policy on September 19th 2005. On December 10th, 2007 he was appointed as the United States Interdiction Coordinator and assumed the role of Acting Deputy Director.

Mr. Ward is responsible for reducing the supply of illicit drugs in the U. S. In this role, Mr. Ward provides executive leadership in the interagency and international environment. His office is responsible for the development of national policy and strategy, focusing and overseeing all U.S. programs and activities involved in achieving the supply reduction goals of the National Drug Control Strategy, and countering the nexus between illegal drugs and terrorism. Mr. Ward's day-to-day duties are concentrated on supporting cooperative interagency efforts in support of the Andean Counterdrug Initiative, as well as programs in Mexico and Afghanistan. In supporting the work of the interagency, Mr. Ward is in frequent and close contact with relevant officials from the Drug Enforcement Administration, the United States Coast Guard, the Central Intelligence Agency, and departments of Defense, Homeland Security, State, and Justice. Mr. Ward co-chairs the relevant National Security Council Policy Coordinating Committee on International Drug Control, and represents ONDCP at meetings of the NSC Deputies.

Prior to joining the Office of National Drug Control Policy in 2005, Mr. Ward worked in a variety of positions during a 23-year career with the United States Air Force. He has held multiple operational leadership assignments and is a master navigator with over 3,200 flight hours in the KC-135 air refueling aircraft, the E-4B National Airborne Operations Center, and the T-43 Joint Navigator Training aircraft. In addition, he has served in several staff positions including Strategic Air Command as Deputy Chief of the Air Force Restructure and as the Director of Inspections for the Secretary of the Air Force. He possesses operational and strategic interagency experience focused on international drug control including service with the United States Southern Command, Joint Interagency Task Force South and previous experience as Special Assistant to the Director, Office of National Drug Control Policy.

Mr. Ward was born in Akron, Ohio and as a dependent and active duty member in the Air Force has lived in ten different states and three countries. Mr. Ward's education includes a Bachelors Degree and Masters Degree in Business Administration and a Masters Degree in National Security Studies. He and the former Keyna Bailey live in Woodbridge, Virginia and have one son.