Bob Ward is the seventh President and CEO of the Florida Council of 100, a private, nonprofit, nonpartisan organization of business leaders which exists to promote economic growth in Florida.
First organized in 1961, the Council works closely with the Governor, the Legislature, the Court, and private organizations to accomplish its mission. Prior to assuming his current role, Ward served for twenty-six years in the public sector, twice as Chief of Staff of the Florida House of Representatives (Speakers Rubio and Bense), eight years as Clerk of the House, a constitutional position which included the role of a parliamentarian.
Other public service roles have included serving as an education policy advisor to Governor Jeb Bush, a Deputy Assistant Secretary with the Department of Education, an administrator with the Department of Business and Professional Regulation, and a deputy tax collector.
In 2005 and 2007, Ward served overseas as a USAID/NDI consultant to assist the Iraqi Council of Representatives to establish their version of a Congressional budget office. He is a member of the Florida Talent Development Council, the 2019-20 Constitutionally mandated Government Efficiency Taskforce, and a board member of Enterprise Florida, Inc.