Christie Ward was announced as Catawba College's Deputy Director of Athletics and Senior Woman Administrator in July of 2022. Ward assists and supports the Vice President of Athletics by providing leadership, organization, administrative oversight, and evaluation for the Department of Athletics.
In her role, Ward serves as the senior most member of the Vice President of Athletics’ administrative leadership team, oversees components of game day operations, marketing, special events, and community engagement. She will also have oversight of the department budget as well as administrative supervision of the following teams: Women’s Volleyball, Men’s Soccer, Men’s and Women’s Cross Country, Men’s and Women’s Track and Field, Men’s and Women’s Lacrosse, and Men’s and Women’s Tennis.
Ward also supervises the Associate Director of Athletics for Compliance to ensure compliance of NCAA, SAC and Catawba College regulations, management and regular review of team and department budgets, serving as the primary liaison to the Student Affairs office (discipline, financial obligations, academic issues, and student-athlete welfare), and directing all championships and tournaments hosted by Catawba College which includes the completion of necessary NCAA host bids for postseason play.
Since arriving at Catawba, Ward has been a part of hosting multiple SAC championship and NCAA opening, regional, and super regional rounds of the NCAA Championships for women’s soccer, men’s and women’s basketball, men’s and women’s tennis, and baseball. Ward was also named to the NCAA Membership Committee in 2024 and has been currently serving as the Vice Chair since 2026.
Prior to Catawba, Ward served as the Senior Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator at Colorado State University Pueblo. Before her stop at CSU Pueblo, Ward spent 12 years at Georgia Southwestern State University as the Assistant Athletic Director for Compliance from 2009 until 2015 then, transitioned to Associate Athletic Director and Senior Woman Administrator from 2015 until 2021.
In her Associate Athletic Director role with GSW, Ward served on several Division II committees including:
Ward received her Juris Doctor degree from John Marshall Law School in Atlanta, Georgia. She also earned her bachelor's degree from Georgia Southwestern where she graduated magna cum laude with a 3.88 GPA.
As a student-athlete, Ward was a two-time Academic All-American and a two-time All-Conference softball player at GSW in 2002 and 2003. She also was a Third Team All-Region selection in 2003.
Ward currently resides in Salisbury.
