Barry and Paula Ward’s Lasting Impact on EKU Students
They attended an alumni gathering at the home of fellow alumnus Dr. John “Lucky” Meisenheimer in Orlando, Florida, in early 2024, with the hope of meeting old friends, beginning new friendships and catching up on recent developments at their shared alma mater.
Barry and Paula (Muthler) Ward came away with much more.
“We heard President (Dr. David) McFaddin and some of his leadership team speak, and we were truly moved by their energy and vision for EKU’s growth,” Barry said.
The Wards wasted little time in establishing a scholarship fund to help deserving Eastern students achieve their educational and career goals.
“Education is just so important, and we want to assist students to create their positive vision of the future for a lifetime of success,” said Barry, who earned a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1983. “We are extremely happy to support scholarships in our EKU colleges that provided us an effective education to build careers on.”
The Wards met in high school in Louisville, began dating the summer before beginning their studies at Eastern in 1979, and married in 1985 shortly after graduation. Paula, a 1984 graduate, enjoyed a career in fashion merchandising, sales and education as the couple raised two children. Inspired by his father’s career as an electrical engineer at GE and Scoutmaster, Barry chose a career path as a Certified Public Accountant (CPA), emphasizing that “accounting is known as the language of business.”
Though he began his journey in the insurance industry at Ernst & Young, Barry perfected the language by continually advancing his expertise. Most recently, that expertise culminated in a successful 10-year career in finance as Chief Financial Officer of Security Benefit, a leader in the U.S. retirement market with assets under management totaling more than $50 billion.
With an abundance of both professional and life experiences, the Wards’ newest venture is one of shared talent and resources close to home.
“We loved the campus and the friendly staff and the opportunity it provided to allow us to grow and learn to become successful as we pursued our dreams,” Paula said. “To me, philanthropy means giving to and supporting an institution or organization that we want to help in ways to allow them to grow and help others. Our hope is to reduce the stress and financial burdens of students while they attend college. I hope other EKU alumni learn how rewarding it feels to give back to EKU.”
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