Board Member (She/Her/Hers)
Gardner is Vice President of Community Impact at Heart of West Michigan United Way, overseeing all allocations and funding to local nonprofits in Kent County. Ms. Gardner has earned both a Bachelor of Social Work, LSW from College of Mount St. Joseph University and a Master of Business Administration from Indiana University. She has over 30 years of experience working as a social worker in various sectors particularly in hospital discharge planning for first time mothers, domestic violence, and Executive Director with a Community Action agency. She has also worked in child welfare as an investigator for abuse and neglect cases, and as a supervisor for adoptions in Cincinnati, Ohio. Ms. Gardner is dedicated to ensuring that her community outreach includes an intentional effort to inform, engage, partner with, and empower others to create strategies that address and eliminate inequities at all levels.