(Black PR Wire) Jacquelyn Price Ward, President of the Chicago Teachers’ Pension Fund (CTPF) Board of Trustees, received the Chicago Defenders 2026 Women of Excellence Award. President Price Ward, along with 50 other honorees, was recognized during the awards ceremony on March 20, 2026. 

“We are grateful for President Price Ward’s service to CTPF and appreciate the honor she has received from the Chicago Defender,” said Carlton W. Lenoir, Sr., CTPF Executive Director. “This recognition reflects President Price Ward’s lifelong dedication to education, community leadership, and advocacy, as well as her service as a fiduciary and steward of this Fund on behalf of our members.” 

President Price Ward is a lifelong educator, activist, organizer, and community leader, regarded as a role model in her community, across the state, and nationally. She believes in the power of education and organizing to build community.  

As President of the CTPF Board of Trustees, she serves as a fiduciary, responsible for stewarding the Fund’s $13.7 billion in assets for 98,000 members. She has served CTPF as Recording Secretary, Financial Secretary, Vice President, and chair of multiple committees. NASP honored her with the 2024 Trailblazer Award for promoting diversity and inclusion in financial services.  

A special education teacher at Bond Elementary, Price Ward has more than 30 years of service in the Chicago Public Schools. She has extensive community and union leadership experience, having served as Recording Secretary for the Chicago Teachers Union, and Vice President of the Illinois Federation of Teachers. Nationally, she has served on Committees for the National Council on Teacher Retirement.   

She earned her B.S. from Illinois State University, and two master’s degrees from U of I, Chicago. 

Since its inception in 2007, the Women of Excellence Awards and Ceremony has celebrated local Black women who make significant contributions in their respective fields, including business, government, law, the arts, media, and faith. The honorees join a prestigious sisterhood of more than 900 achievers, the only one of its size and scope in the Chicagoland area. 

ABOUT CTPF 

Established by the Illinois state legislature in 1895, the Chicago Teachers' Pension Fund manages members' assets and administers benefits. The $13.7 billion pension fund serves more than 98,000 members and provides pension and health insurance benefits to more than 27,150 beneficiaries. A majority of CTPF annuitants (83%) live in Illinois and the $1.6 billion in pension payments they receive generate $2.2 billion in total economic impact for the state. Find more information at ctpf.org.