Jamaican ambassador Curtis A. Ward, who served on the United Nations Security Council in the early 2000s, died at his home in Montgomery County Sunday. He was 76.

Ward served as Jamaica’s deputy permanent representative to the United Nations and is best known for representing the nation on the UN Security Council from 2000 to 2001. Gov. Wes Moore appointed Ward chair of the Maryland Caribbean Community Council in 2023. In this role, he earned a Governor’s Citation recognizing his efforts to elevate the contributions of Caribbean immigrants and their descendants.

Montgomery County Council at-large member Laurie-Anne Sayles, who is Jamaican-American, said in a press release Tuesday that he inspired her “to believe in the transformative power of public service and in the enduring strength of our island’s motto, ‘Out of Many, One People.’”

According to the New York Carib News, Ward grew up in Treasure Beach, on the south coast of Jamaica, before moving to Washington, D.C. to attend Howard University. Following his graduation from Georgetown University Law School, he practiced immigration and business law in D.C.

Ward owned his own firm and also worked in the Law Offices of Gabriel J. Christian and Associates. He was an adjunct professor for the Homeland Security Graduate Program at the University of the District of Columbia and an adjunct professorial lecturer at The George Washington University’s Elliott School of International Affairs.

Ward also served as chairman of the Caribbean Research and Policy Center, a Washington, D.C. think tank.

Ward “worked passionately to ensure that the Caribbean community in Montgomery County was seen, heard, and represented,” Venice Mundlee-Harvey, past chair of the Montgomery County Caribbean American Advisory Group, said in Tuesday’s press release. “His legacy of service and leadership will not be forgotten.”