Natalie Ward
Director of Creatives & Communications
Natalie joined The University of Missouri-Kansas City’s Institute for Human Development (UMKC-IHD) in 2022 and is responsible for the communications and marketing of Nexus. She received her B.F.A. in Art History from the University of Kansas and MBA/M.A. from Southern Methodist University, both of which have set her on a course of helping organizations develop and refine their brands and visual identities. Before joining UMKC-IHD, Natalie worked at Essilor of America in their nonprofit, Essilor Vision Foundation, helping develop cause marketing campaigns to provide vision care to children in need. She also worked at Olathe Health Charitable Foundation and Kansas City Hospice & Palliative Care, raising funds to provide care to patients close to home. Her passion for giving back now extends to supporting the Nexus vision of a world where all people have opportunities to explore, problem-solve and plan for their “good life.”
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Movie: Rescuing Da Vinci
The single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place.
— George Bernard Shaw