Jeffrey Ward came to Bowdoin in 1997, and has presided over a Bowdoin Athletics program that has seen unprecedented successes since his arrival.

Ward came to Bowdoin after serving as the Assistant Athletic Director at Brown University, and has accumulated three decades of experience as a coach and administrator. Before working at Brown, Ward served at Columbia University and the U.S. Military Academy in several administrative capacities.

As a coach, Ward was responsible for the rapid growth and success of the Columbia women’s swim team. He was named the first-ever coach of the program in 1982 and developed the squad into one of the premier programs in the east before leaving for Brown in 1990.

A native of Albany, Oregon, Ward earned his bachelor’s degree in American Studies at Dartmouth College and earned his master’s degree in higher education at Columbia. He and his wife Margaret reside in Brunswick with their sons Matt and Alex.