Paving the Way for Others

The year is 1984, and OHIO freshman Byron Ward needs one more class to fill out his full-time student schedule. He decides to approach renowned professor Dr. Francine Childs to see if he can take her African American Psychology course. Childs looks at him and says, “Son, this is a 300-level class. I don’t usually let freshmen take my course.”

Ward looks Childs in the eye and says, “Ma’am, I’m not your average freshman.”

Bold words, but Ward can certainly back them up—as this dedicated changemaker has always been anything but average. During his time on campus, Ward founded the Black Student Business Caucus (still thriving nearly 35 years later as the Multicultural Student Business Caucus); since graduating with honors in 1989, he has gone on to hold top leadership positions at AT&T, Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, Year Up and more. Ward has also kept one foot firmly on the bricks of Athens, serving in a wide capacity of roles from a seat on the Ohio University Foundation Board of Trustees to helping plan the wildly popular Black Alumni Reunion.

“OHIO is home—I’ve walked on these bricks, bled on these bricks, sweat on these bricks,” explains Ward, who won a Distinguished Service Award in 2022 for his vast alumni involvement. “I want to help the current Black students have a great experience and finish (their education).”

Ward is so invested in helping current students thrive largely because he knows precisely what it’s like to fight for one’s college education. A native Clevelander, Ward hailed from a single-parent household—with his family living in inner-city Cleveland through the sixth grade and then moving to Cleveland Heights. Initially, Ward wanted to attend an HBCU (historically black college and university) but decided to stay closer to home and choose an Ohio-based school. 

“I remember looking at the brochure for OHIO, and thinking, ‘This is what college is supposed to look like,’” says Ward. Once at OHIO, Ward found his groove on campus academically and socially—getting involved with the Black Student Union and hosting popular variety shows—but struggled to stay afloat financially. With his enrollment hanging in the balance, Childs offered Ward the chance to live with her for one quarter during his sophomore year (having seen his drive and talent during his successful bid to study with her as a freshman). 

“By sophomore year, Dr. Childs and I had a relationship, and she called my mom to say, ‘What can we do to help?” says Ward. “That was a huge moment in my shift.”

Yet junior year presented more challenges, with Ward taking a quarter off to assist his mother in caring for his ailing grandfather. Ward was determined to return though and came back strong—founding the Black Student Business Caucus and adding another major in African American Studies. Ward was eventually named “Outstanding Senior Leader,” a coveted award that he considered a “huge honor … since it was named for John Templeton, the first Black graduate of the University.”

Throughout his career, Ward has continued to make good on that early promise of leadership. He started as a rising star in the telecommunications space, taking management roles and helming employee resource groups for AT&T, Lucent Technologies, and Avaya. In 1995, Ward was named one of Ebony’s “50 Leaders of Tomorrow,” and in 1998, he relocated from Cleveland to Somerset, New Jersey, where he continued to climb the corporate ladder but eventually felt the call to do something more meaningful.

“I had always wanted to go into the nonprofit space,” says Ward. “I could smell the tea leaves shifting, and I knew it was time for me to make a move.”

In 2013, Ward landed at Year Up, a national nonprofit focusing on “closing the opportunity divide” in America through a unique model of tuition-free job training and sponsored internship opportunities. As regional director, Ward oversaw seven of the nonprofit’s 28 markets, relishing the opportunity to further the futures of marginalized people entering the workforce.

“Year Up’s goal is to galvanize and grab young adults who want it but don’t have the access,” explains Ward. “As we move toward a more skills-based economy, we’re helping prepare people for roles that don’t require a degree.”

After nearly a decade at Year Up, Ward is now starting a new professional adventure at OneTen—a nonprofit with a similar mission of providing one million well-paying jobs for Black Americans who don’t have a four-year degree. Ward’s goal is to spark dialogue and momen-tum toward equality, and that extends to the continued work he does with Ohio University students (both as an advisor for the Multicultural Student Business Caucus and host of student groups that visit New York).

“I want them to leave the University as well-rounded future leaders who recognize that there is a much bigger world outside Ohio,” shares Ward.

For her part, junior Katie Kirkendall says she was inspired by Ward’s “authentic leadership” style when she visited Year Up’s Manhattan offices with business fraternity Delta Sigma Pi last fall. “The best part of the visit was seeing the passion he has for his work,” says Kirkendall. “(Ward) is a selfless leader and drives an important mission daily, not only through his work but also through his advocacy.”

And Ward isn’t likely to stop anytime soon, with big plans for his work at OneTen and current seats on the Executive Advisory Board for the College of Business and the Presidential Advisory Council. “I see myself as part of the fabric of Ohio University,” says Ward, whose son is currently enrolled as a sophomore. “My spirit and my name will ride on with the John Templetons and everyone else (who made their mark).” 

Interested in making a difference for today’s students? Join bobcatnetwork.ohio.edu.

Featured image: Photo by Karsten Moran