Maitland Ward (born Ashley Maitland Welkos; February 3, 1977) is an American actress. She is known for playing Rachel McGuire on the ABC original series Boy Meets World and Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful.
Ward starred as Jessica Forrester on The Bold and the Beautiful, where she appeared from 1994 to 1996. She landed that role, which was her first ever acting role when she was 18 and still a junior in high school. Ward had guest-starring roles on USA High and the seventh season of ABC's Home Improvement; and co-starred with Jay Thomas and Mario Lopez in the dramatic movie Killing Mr. Griffin.
Her character of Rachel McGuire was added to Boy Meets World in 1998, at the beginning of the sixth season, as a main cast member. This role lasted until the series ended in 2000. After Ward's stint on Boy Meets World, she appeared in the independent film Dish Dogs, a romantic comedy in which she co-stars with Brian Dennehy, Matthew Lillard and Sean Astin. Later, she appeared in the 2004 comedy film White Chicks with Shawn and Marlon Wayans.