Jeri Ward

Member

Jeri Ward is a national leader in marketing and communications with extensive experience in both nonprofit and corporate sectors. She is currently Vice President for Global Marketing and Communications at Northwestern University, a position she has held since 2018. She is responsible for driving the University’s global branding and communications strategy, including advising the University’s leadership and Board of Trustees on top-level communications and shaping the University’s national and global marketing approach.

Previously, Jeri served as Senior Vice President and Chief Communications Officer for Audi of America, where she was the company’s first female vice president. In that role, she was responsible for brand, product, lifestyle, corporate, and crisis communications. Jeri joined Audi in 2007, leading Marketing and Product Launch, then in 2011 led Customer Experience. She took Audi’s customer experience performance to record highs by reshaping the company’s culture, processes and policies to drive results. Prior to her tenure at Audi of America, Jeri held various marketing positions at Ford Motor Company.

Jeri received a bachelor’s degree in Mechanical Engineering from Kettering University and has dual graduate degrees from the Kellogg Graduate School of Management and the McCormick School of Engineering at Northwestern University.

An avid hiker, Jeri has spent most of her time on the Appalachian Trail in Virginia, in and around Shenandoah National Park. She has also hiked sections of the Trail in West Virginia, Maryland, and Vermont. Jeri enjoys hiking with her Labrador retrievers (when permitted) and appreciates the A.T. as a place for discovery and reflection.