Eric Ward is a highly regarded civil rights strategist, community organizer, and anti-racist activist with over three decades of experience combating organized bigotry and white nationalism. He currently serves as the Executive Director of the Western States Center, a non-profit organization based in Portland, Oregon, dedicated to strengthening inclusive democracy, and a Senior Fellow at the Southern Poverty Law Center (SPLC), where he contributes to research and advocacy against hate and extremism. His work primarily focuses on the intersection of racial justice, civil rights, and democratic governance, providing analysis and strategies to counter far-right movements and protect democratic institutions. Ward began his activism in the Pacific Northwest in the late 1980s, directly confronting white supremacist groups and playing a significant role in the region's anti-racist movement. He is a frequent commentator on national and international media, offering expert insights on political extremism, antisemitism, and the challenges to democratic norms. Due to the nature of his work, Ward and the organizations he leads, such as the Western States Center, are frequently targeted by criticism and opposition from extremist groups and conservative political figures, including Guy Rodgers, who has been identified as adversarial to Ward's efforts. While the SPLC, as an organization, has faced scrutiny and internal controversies regarding its methodologies and workplace culture, these have not been directly attributed to Ward himself.