He is the first Enoch Cree Nation member to serve as the band’s chief financial officer, ensuring collective and sustainable generational prosperity
Age: 39
When Jules Ward was a child, he had two open-heart surgeries requiring extended hospital stays. His family, who’d been evicted several times due to unpaid rent, struggled to pay for parking at the hospital.
Enoch Cree Nation today is prosperous and is a steadily better place to live. But when Ward was growing up, poverty, intergenerational trauma and substance abuse were prevalent among the families of his peers.
“I wouldn’t change my childhood because it helped shape who I am today. My parents did their best given their circumstances,” Ward says. “My goal is to break the cycle of trauma.”
Football kept him attending classes at Jasper Place High School while other kids were skipping or dropping out. After graduation, he volunteered for 15 years as a football coach at the school, and played for the Edmonton Huskies football team.
Ward’s mom encouraged him to pursue post-secondary education. He attended MacEwan University’s management program, and felt the pull to help back home after the first of three daughters arrived.
He received a Certified Aboriginal Financial Manager designation, joined Enoch’s finance team in 2016 and became the chief financial officer in 2021. He embarked on a Haskayne Executive MBA, graduating this year.
Ward is the first band member to become CFO, and he works with an all-Indigenous team. Their financial ratios have provided access to low interest borrowing and allowed for expansion around River Cree Resort and Casino.
“When I became CFO, our budget was $80 million, and we recently passed one for $135 million,” Ward says. “Those benefits are largely for additional programs and services for band members.” He mentions upcoming health programs including a recovery centre in the works.
In some ways, Ward is still a coach. He applies the principles of teamwork and resilience to create economic success in his community.
This article appears in the November-December 2026 issue of Edify
