Freeholder Nancy Ward
Freeholder Nancy Ward was appointed to the Union County Board of Chosen Freeholders in October 2004 and was elected to the office in November 2005. She was re-elected to a second term in 2008. She brings more than 17 years of legal experience to the Board plus years of service as a volunteer in the community. Ms. Ward is an attorney with offices in Westfield. She graduated magna cum laude from Fordham University, College of Business Administration, with a Bachelor of Science degree in Finance. She received her Juris Doctorate degree from Pace University Law School and passed both the New York and New Jersey bar exams. Freeholder Ward is licensed to practice law in the State of New Jersey. After her graduation from law school, Ms. Ward volunteered her services full-time at the Emerald Isle Immigration Center in Queens, New York, where she counseled new immigrants in applying for visas. In 1992, Ms. Ward began her professional career as a Law Associate for Schnirman and Charney in Linden. Within two years, she opened her own law practice and currently specializes in personal injury law, workers compensation law, landlord/tenancy law and cooperative housing law. As 2008 chair of the Open Space, Recreation and Historic Preservation Trust Fund, Ms. Ward supported milestone achievements including acquisition of the 150-acre Clark Reservoir and the adjacent Hungarian Club property, and the opening of Esposito Farm Park. She has served as liaison to the AIDS Advisory Council, the Local Advisory Committee on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse and the Union County Planning Board, and chaired the Shared Services Committee. Ms. Ward also introduced new initiatives for dealing with the problem of violent gangs, and in 2010 she created and introduced “Christopher’s Program,” the first partnership between Union County and the family part of the New Jersey Superior Court. Freeholder Ward is a past member of the Linden Economic Development Corporation. She was a regular supporter of former Mayor Gregorio’s Humanitarian Fund which provided aid to families in dire financial hardship. After the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, she volunteered her legal services at Liberty State Park in Jersey City where she received recognition from John Farmer, Jr., the Attorney General of the State of New Jersey. An American citizen by birth, Freeholder Ward lived in Ireland for several years, returning to the United States when she was 13 years of age. She has been a supporter of the Union County St. Patrick’s Day Parade since its inception in 1997. She also has been a regular volunteer at the annual Halloween and Christmas parties at the Morning Star Senior Citizen Community Building in Linden.