David J. Ward, President and founder of NorthStar Economics, is the principal investigator and primary author of the Regional Economic Impact Study and Action Plan being conducted in the 15 UP, and 2 Wisconsin County region that includes Alger, Baraga, Chippewa, Delta, Dickinson, Gogebic, Houghton, Iron, Keweenaw, Luce, Mackinac, Marquette, Menominee, Ontonagon and Schoolcraft counties in Michigan, and Florence and Marinette counties in Wisconsin.

Dr. Ward was born and raised in Green Bay, Wisconsin. He earned a BBA, MBA and Ph.D. in Finance from the University of Wisconsin - Madison. Dr. Ward completed a thirty-one year career in the University of Wisconsin System in July, 2000. He held teaching positions at the University of Wisconsin - Green Bay and University of Wisconsin - Oshkosh, which recently honored him by awarding him the Chancellor's Medallion.

During his eighteen year tenure at UW Oshkosh, Dr. Ward served in the following administrative posts: chairman of the Department of Finance, Vice Chancellor and Chief Academic Officer, and Acting Chancellor. In 1994, he came to the UW System Administration and served as the number two senior administrator of the sixth largest system of higher education in the United States. In his post as the Senior Vice President, he was the Chief Academic Officer for the UW System and the deputy to the President of the UW System.

During his career as a professor of finance, Professor Ward was active as a financial and economic consultant and worked for a number of private sector firms including Kimberly Clark, Honeywell, and Land's End. He also worked extensively as a forensic economist testifying in numerous cases in federal and circuit courts. He was the co-author of a college level text on personal finance and the author and host of two educational television series copyrighted by the University of Wisconsin Board of Regents.

In May of 2000, Dr. Ward established NorthStar Economics. Since that time, he has given presentations on Wisconsin and the New Economy to over ninety groups. This presentation highlights the economic challenges facing Wisconsin as the New Economy emerges. In the last two years, a wide range of groups including the Governor's Cabinet, the Wisconsin Department of Commerce, a task force of the Wisconsin Department of Financial Institutions, and the Kettl Commission have seen the presentation.

Dr. Ward has acted as the principal investigator and primary author of several recent NorthStar projects, including A Strategic Economic Development Plan for the Town of Saratoga, Wyoming; A Systematic Evaluation Process for a Science and Technology Strategy in New Hampshire; An Economic Development Adjustment Plan for Door County, Wisconsin; and the 2005 NorthStar Guide to Growth and Venture Capital for Wisconsin companies.