Mrs. Ward serves as the Executive Director and senior civilian responsible for base operating support for Navy Region Europe, Africa, and Southwest Asia.
Mrs. Ward was most recently the Chief of Staff of the Office of Cybersecurity and Communications (CS&C) within the National Protection and Programs Directorate (NPPD) of the Department of Homeland Security, where she was the principle advisor to the Deputy Undersecretary for Cybersecurity and Assistant Secretary (CS&C), providing oversight of the day-to-day management and operations of an organization with broad national and international cyber and communications mission responsibility. Mrs. Ward oversaw the following functions: budget, finance and acquisition programs in excess of $1 billion, international affairs, logistics, supply and material assets, human resources, business continuity and emergency preparedness, facilities, external affairs (public affairs), and information management. During her tenure, she led transformation efforts in creating a new, more strategic and flexible operational structure that brought communications and cybersecurity programs together under a single point of coordination that is better able to keep pace with the ever-evolving threat landscape. These changes resulted in an organization more capable of agile operations; of forming stronger partnerships; and of professionally, efficiently, and effectively enhancing the security, resiliency, and reliability of the Nation’s cyber and communications infrastructure.
From August of 2002 to February of 2011, Mrs. Ward held a variety of positions within the Defense Logistics Agency – Europe and Africa (DLA-EA) before being promoted to Deputy Commander in 2008. In this role, she shared in the overall management and direction of 800+ DLA-EA personnel and programs in Europe and Africa, conducting Operations in 13 countries and at 85 separate locations. She directed overall policy and planning and provided a single DLA interface for European Command and Africa Command warfighters, reaching back to other DLA activities in Europe and the continental United States for logistics solutions, resulting in $7.8 billion in annual sales. Mrs. Ward served as the strategic link to European Command and Africa Command’s components for an operational customer base including 55.8 million square miles, covering 103 nations in all of Europe and parts of Africa, Asia and North America
Mrs. Ward is a Navy Veteran and graduate of the University of Maryland and the Federal Executive Institute. Her personal awards include the DHS National Protection and Programs Directorate Leadership, and Communications awards, DLA Exceptional Civilian Service, DLA Meritorious Civilian Service, and DLA Superior Civilian Service awards, making her the only DLA employee to have received DLA’s three highest awards. She has also received the DoD Joint Meritorious Unit Award and is a recipient of the DLA Leader of the Year award.
