Nicole Ward

Philanthropist and businesswoman Nicole Ward has been serving her hometown of Cleveland, Ohio her entire life. She began her professional career working in both Human Resources and Marketing for the esteemed Cleveland Clinic. After retiring from that position, she pursued her real estate license and joined Chestnut Hill Realty in 2019. Ward’s over 20 years of experience as a real estate investor contributed to her quickly becoming a valuable asset to the team.

Serving the community at the heart of all of Ward’s ventures, she co-founded the Make Them Know Your Name (MTKYN) Foundation whose mission aims to help prevent heart related fatalities in communities across the nation by providing the resources necessary to educate people in the various aspects of heart health. The foundation, which honors her late husband, has already provided life-saving emergency resources such as hands-only CPR certification and AED equipment and instruction to local high schools and gyms in Ohio. In addition, MTKYN holds free football camps, coat drives, and multiple online and in-person fundraising events during the year that brings the community together. Ward has shared its mission and her story on local news programs and morning shows, as well as speaking to Cleveland area students about the importance of heart health education and the confidence to act in an emergency. To further the foundation’s impact, she also lends her voice to the epidemic of health disparities in the black community and championed an educational campaign through MTKYN to highlight the alarming statistics. Ward and her sons were recognized for their efforts at the American Heart Association’s Heart and Stroke Ball in 2019. The family also funds the Paul G. Ward Jr. Memorial Scholarship which presents an annual scholarship to a Bedford High School student with financial need.

In addition to her successful professional and philanthropic endeavors, Ward sits on the board of the Professional Football Players Mothers Association. She is also signed with Pro Model & Talent Management. A member of the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Ward spends any free time working out and spending time with family.

Ward is the mother of two sons, Paul Jr. (P.J.) and Denzel, and recently became a proud grandmother to P.J.’s first daughter Naomi with wife, Vanessa. Oldest son P.J. is a successful entrepreneur in the Cleveland area, and Denzel is a Pro Bowl cornerback for the Cleveland Browns.