Bill Ward, a Vietnam War Veteran, is a resident of Mesa, Arizona, and the President and founder of Community Health Advocate Men’s Cancer & Health Issues, which focuses on underserved communities located on American Indian Reservations. Raised on the White Mountain Apache Indian Reservation, he is a member of the Native Research Network Inc. Park City, Utah, Board member Intercultural Cancer Commission, Meharry Medical College, Nashville, TN., Partnership between the University of Arizona and Northern Arizona University (NACP) Native American Cancer Prevention, Community Action Committee.
He also is the Past Chairman of the Board of the Native People’s Circle of Hope, a national coalition of Native cancer survivors and support groups whose mission is “to help the survivor, their family members and caregivers understand they are not alone.” As a founding member of the NPCOH-Eagle Feather Men’s Chapter located in Portland, Oregon, the following motto was adopted to highlight their organization’s mission: “A man’s health is a family matter.”
Mr. Ward is a 16-year prostate cancer survivor from the effects of Agent Orange while serving in Vietnam, who had a successful surgery in October 2004 at the University of Washington Hospital in Seattle, Washington. He served on the Prostate Program Advisory Council for the Spirit of Eagles-Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN. As the Southwest Regional Leader and the representative of the Southwest Region (Arizona) on the Intercultural Cancer Council (ICC) in Houston, Texas, he has participated in addressing minority health issues in real time.
He has made numerous presentations to Native American Tribes and spoken at two or three conferences per year on Men’s Cancer and Health education Issues in the Pacific Northwest and Southwest. The Native American Tribes who have invited him to their Conferences and to speak to their tribal members include Nisqually, Yakama, Nez Perce, Umatilla, Warm Springs, and Squaxin Island, (SPIPA) South Puget Intertribal Planning Agency, which is comprised of seven different Native American Tribes. In 2010, the Native Men’s Wellness Workshop recognized Mr. Ward’s tireless efforts with an award as an Outstanding Contributor and an Honored Wellness Graduate (SPIPA CCCP). The also spoke to the Hopi, Havasupai, Hualapai, Northern Ute’s and Native Interest Group at Mayo Clinic in Rochester, MN.
Mr. Ward has successfully applied his knowledge with and experience of American Indian Veterans in his tribal outreach and community engagement. Similarly, his experience with Veterans has helped him to identify health disparities among discharged veterans living in underserved communities, including American Indian reservations. Mr. Ward’s candor and transparency about current cancer research and awareness has allowed him to provide a grassroots perspective to affected parties and their families regarding cancer awareness, prevention and treatment.
He also collaborates with the Mayo Clinics, Native Circle in Rochester, MN and ICC (Intercultural Cancer Council) at Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. These relationships allow him to obtain and to distribute relevant guidance and resource materials with information pertinent to American Indian health challenges such as different types of cancers and related health issues.
Mr. Ward retired from the Department of Energy – Bonneville Power Administration in 2001 as a Journeyman IBEW (international Brotherhood of Electrical Workers) electrical employee, receiving the DOE’s Distinguished Career Service Award for 29 years of employment.
After his retirement, he was a self-employed Energy Consultant focusing on Power Transmission Right of Way issues across Tribal Lands in the Pacific Northwest and assisting Wind Energy companies to interface with Bonneville Power Administration to connect to the power grid for transmission.
He was an Executive Board member with the Public Power Council in Portland, Oregon that represented 115 public power customers interest in securing Electrical Power from the Federal Power produced from the Columbia River power generation system in the Pacific Northwest. In addition, he was elected to the local Board of Directors for Northern Wasco County People’s Utility District in The Dalles, Oregon for six years.
Mr. Ward is a past member of Oregon Governors Veterans’ Advisory Board, having served two terms under two different Governors for a total of eight years, a two-term chairman of the Governor’s Advisory board and a community leader for helping secure funding and the construction of Oregon’s first long term care Veterans Home in The Dalles, Oregon.
As a former City Councilman/Mayor Pro Tem for the city of The Dalles, Oregon, he was active in addressing local and State program and policy issues. He previously served on The Dalles Planning and Zoning Commission and the Historical Landmarks Commission. Chairman of the commission that constructed The Dalles local Viet Nam Memorial with names of our Veterans from the surrounding five Oregon counties in the Mid-Columbia area.
He has an Associate of Applied Science Degree in Management/Supervisory Development from Portland Community College, Portland, Oregon. He received four years of electrical education and training in the Electrical Apprenticeship Training through the Bonneville Power Administration program in Portland, Oregon.
As a retiree, Mr. Ward can attend and present at numerous conferences. Recent events he attended include the following: American Society for Bioethics & Humanities (ASBH) Presentation on ‘Rebuilding Health, Restoring Community Relations in San Diego, Calif.
“Roots of Strength” conferences for Native People’s Circle of Hope in Portland, Oregon, Denver, Co, Minneapolis, MN, Cord A lane, Idaho, Salt Lake City, Utah, Houston, Texas, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Fayetteville, N.C, Hawaii, John Burns Cancer Center, Buffalo, N.Y. Northern Arizona University, University of Arizona, Yakama, Washington, Los Angeles, CA. Office of Men’s Health. Bottom of the Grand Canyon in Arizona. White Mountain Apache Tribe, The San Carlos Apache Tribe and the Gila River Tribe.