Journalist
Once upon a time during simpler days in Belize, a journalist was born.
James "Jamie" Ward is a versatile journalist who has published for magazine, newspaper and online audiences. With a Master's degree in journalism and a dual Bachelor's degree in business, both from Indiana University in beautiful Bloomington, the native Hoosier has traveled to five continents, lived in three countries and speaks English, Spanish and a wee-bit of Belizean Kriol.
Jamie considers himself blessed to have lived a unique and fulfilled life. It's the lens he sees the world through that makes him a better journalist. From June 2008 to September 2009, Jamie was the planning and zoning, business, environment and general assignment reporter for the Gwinnett Daily Post newspaper, located in suburban Atlanta. He also wrote for the Norcross and Dunwoody Patch.com sites during 2011 while also dabbling with his own online newspaper. From late 2011 until July 2014, he lived in St. Croix and the U.S. Virgin Islands working as a freelance reporter for the online St. Croix Source. He also was a news director and on-air personality for JKC Communications, which owned a set of radio stations in the islands. He returned to the mainland in July 2014 for a teaching position at a suburban Atlanta high school. After a jaunt to Seattle for a few years and a year working on the islands again for the Guam Daily Post, he then landed in his most recent stop, Charlottesville, Virginia. Since April 2019 Jamie has worked as a business journalist with Acuris Mergermarket, which was later aquired and became part of ION Analytics.
Jamie worked as an information technology consultant out of college and prior to discovering his passion for storytelling and reporting. He's quite comfortable discussing and using those technology and business skills. To educate some of those less privileged, Jamie pioneered a high school computer curriculum for the Peace Corps while serving as a volunteer teacher in Yo Creek Village, Belize. Jamie credits his time in Belize from 2002 - 2004 for realizing his passion for journalism, storytelling and shark wrangling.
In his spare time, Jamie enjys distance running, roadtrips, soccer, concerts, and spending time with his two daughters and son and the family dog.