Governor J.B. Pritzker named a Jacksonville native to the Illinois Forensic Science Commission today.
Carrie Ward will serve on the commission. Ward is the Chief Executive Officer of the Illinois Coalition Against Sexual Assault, where she works with legislators at the state and federal level to improve the policies and resources available to survivors of sexual assault. She was named to the CEO role last year, and was named Executive Director in 2019.
Prior to working in this role, she was the coalition’s Grant Director for 14 years, where she helped the coalition distribute $26 million in funding for rape crisis services statewide. Prior to that post, she served as a full-time Program Developer for 8 years.
Ward has also worked as an Adult Therapist for Rape Information and Counseling Services (now called the Prairie Center Against Sexual Assault) in Springfield, and as a Case Manager for Big Brothers and Big Sisters.
Ward is a 1991 graduate of Illinois College and received her Masters of Arts in Human Development Counseling from Sangamon State University (now known as the University of Illinois-Springfield).