Robert Ward

Foundation 65 Board member since 2024

Dr. Robert Anthony Ward grew up in Detroit, Michigan, and began his educational journey as a first-generation, low-income college student at the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. His experiences as a young Black man at a predominantly white institution shaped his approach to education, which was further refined during his graduate studies at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, where he earned his M.A. and Ph.D. in Educational Policy Studies. Dr. Ward’s research explores the intersections of race and the free market, particularly through the history of charter schools in the U.S., as well as the impact of technology, race, and social protest.

As an adviser in the Weinberg College of Arts and Sciences and an Assistant Professor in the Cook Family Writing Program and Black Studies at Northwestern University, Dr. Ward is committed to mentoring students and fostering critical thinking about inequality. He lives in Evanston with his son, who attends Oakton Elementary School.