By Brian Li (V) This fall, the Upper School English Department welcomes Dr. Barrett Ward, who will be teaching English 9 for freshmen as well as senior electives Ethical Dilemma and Magical Realism.

Dr. Barrett Ward graduated from Texas Christian University, where he received a B.A. in History. He then continued his education at the University of Texas at Austin, where he obtained a M.A. and a Ph.D. in English Literature. 

Afterwards, he served as an Officer in the United States Army for just under 14 years. During his initial five years in the Army, he was an Armored Cavalry Officer and served as a paratrooper and a “trainer for combat soldiers,” said Dr. Ward. He then moved into intelligence work and became an Intelligence Officer, where he commanded an “intelligence and interrogation analysis company” in Baghdad, Iraq, until 2010. Subsequently, Dr. Ward taught at West Point for three years, and in 2015 and 2016, served as a Liaison Officer for an army intelligence unit in Daegu, South Korea. Most recently, he taught English Literature at the United States Air Force Academy. Needless to say, he has an extremely unique and interesting career background. 

Dr. Ward hopes to meet as many members of the Pingry community as he can and support his students whenever possible. Welcome to Pingry, Dr. Ward!