08/22/2026
James Ward '96 is cofounder and CEO—that’s Chief Explorations Officer—of Rewild Safaris, which organizes private adventures all around the world.
Ward said the company is committed to conservation efforts and to responsible ecotourism in the delicate environments where it operates. Rewild partners with local business owners and conservationists who share a belief that, when done right, safari operations can help to protect endangered species and threatened habitats while simultaneously bringing economic opportunity to places where some people may be living on a few dollars a day.
Rewild also works with zoos and aquariums to bring major donors on wildlife journeys that Ward said inspire them to financially support such institutions and their conservation efforts. “I want the experiences to be intimate,” Ward said. “The closer you are to wildlife, the more you’re going to appreciate it.”
After graduating from BC, where he majored in mathematics, and the NYU Stern School of Business, where he studied management, Ward went on to run his family’s Connecticut-based business, which managed retail operations for zoos, aquariums, and museums, from designing their on-site gift shops to producing the stuffed animals that sat on store shelves. It was work that allowed Ward to travel the world on research trips, develop his skills as a professional wildlife photographer (which he continues to employ today, separate from his work with Rewild), and spend time with his father, Gerry Ward ’63, the star Boston College Men's Basketball player.
Read more in Boston College Magazine 🐘 https://on.bc.edu/JamesWard_BCM
