Articles

Meet Khianna Ward, Vice President of Communications

Khianna Ward, Vice President of Communications – SHRM of Greater St. Louis 2021, is the Deputy City Clerk of the City of Jennings. Her role with the City of Jennings is to support the City Clerk in service to the Mayor and City Council, records retention, budget preparation and HR-related duties. She became a part of SHRM St. Louis in 2020, amidst the COVID-19 pandemic and jumped into volunteering on the chapter newsletter. With the encouragement of Danielle Schroeder, former VP of Communications, Khianna stepped up as Newsletter Lead at the end of April 2021. Although SHRM St. Louis was sorry to see Danielle take a step back from the Board of Directors, Khianna’s willingness to serve has led to her appointment as VP of Communications at the end of May 2021.

Khianna also serves on several committees with the Missouri City Clerks and Financial Officers Association, with her most recent appointment as Audit Committee Chair for the 2021-2022 year. In addition to her role as Deputy City Clerk, she works as a part-time Account Manager with Deletra Hudson LLC, where they perform contract financial services to St. Louis area municipalities and individuals to improve their financial literacy.

Khianna was born and raised in Wailuku, Maui, HI, relocating with her family to Tampa, Florida. She moved to Little Rock, AR to expand her horizons and enjoyed work in the financial institution industry with Bank OZK (Bank of the Ozarks). After staying onboard through their expansion in the Southeastern US, Khianna found that she was not satisfied with her Accounts Payable and Wire Room roles.

Taking a brave step forward, she left her position at Bank OZK and gained her certification as an independent residential property adjuster in 2018. She excelled in the primarily male-dominated field and gained much repour with CIS Claims Services and Integrity Adjusters, working the Midwest-Southeastern Region. Khianna quickly learned the difficult lesson of seasonal dependency of the field and gained her TESOL certification in 2019, returning to a familiar field of study to teach English as a second language with the online platforms, Preply and DADA ABC.

With the encouragement of a friend living abroad, she was given the opportunity to move to Ho Chi Minh, Vietnam, where she experienced living as an ex-pat and teaching English as a second language abroad. Khianna found herself struggling with the distance from her loved ones and friends, then returned to the US to relocate with her (now) fiancé, Christopher and their cat, Zora, to St. Louis, MO.

Khianna loves to read but particularly likes audiobooks for their versatility, enjoys music and collects vinyl, and loves to express herself through writing. In September of 2020, they added another member to the family- Yuri, a miniature Australian Shepherd. Khianna spends most weekends getting outside to rock climb, hike, canoe, kayak, camp, or setting time aside to practice self-care. Khianna encourages others to be brave, even when you are most afraid.

“Go confidently in the direction of your dreams! Live the life you've imagined.” - Henry David Thoreau.

Khianna Ward
Deputy City Clerk
City of Jennings
VP of Communications – SHRM Greater St. Louis