Jason Ward has worked in local government for over 25 years. He came to Dorchester County in September 2002 as the Deputy Administrator and has served as County Administrator since 2004. Prior to that he worked in city government in Overland Park, Kansas and Hampton, Virginia.

Ward graduated from Florida A & M University with a B.S. in Broadcast Journalism and graduated from the University of Kansas with a Master of Public Administration (MPA) with an emphasis in city management. He completed the Advanced Government Finance Institute, Government Finance Officers Association and the University of Wisconsin – Madison, the South Carolina Economic Developers School (SCEDS) – College of Charleston, SC, the Certified County Risk Managers Program (CCRM) – S.C. Association of Counties, the South Carolina Executive Institute – S.C. State Budget & Control Board, etc. He is a 2021 graduate of the National Association of Counties High Performance Leadership Academy.

Ward is a full member of the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) and the South Carolina City and County Management Association (SCCCMA), where he serves on the Scholarship Subcommittee. He is also a member of the South Carolina County Managers, Administrators, and Supervisors Group of the S.C. Association of Counties

He serves as the Chairman of the Technical Advisory Group of the Lake Marion Regional Water Agency and as an alternate member of the Board of Directors. He previously served as President of the S.C. City County Management Association and President of the South Carolina County Managers, Administrators, and Supervisors Group of the S.C. Association of Counties. Ward also served as a member of the Sustainability Advisory Committee for the South Carolina Rural Infrastructure Authority and the Board of Directors for Tri-County Link (BCD-RTMA).

He is married to the former Alana Robinson, and they live in Dorchester County with their family.