Meet Pat Gardner
The Gardner Family: (back) Jerry, Bradley; (middle) Ida, Pat, Anita; (front) Dylan, Ella, Isabella
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As a wife, mother, association executive and former teacher, Pat has lived in the Morningside neighborhood for more than 40 years with her husband and two children.
As the Executive Director of the Georgia Psychological Association, she had 30 years of experience in what it takes to run a small business and how to build coalitions to help advance public awareness and generate results on issues important to our health and our neighborhoods.
Pat has served on the Board of the Morningside/Lenox Park Association. She has also served on the Boards of the League of Women Voters, the Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia, the Mental Health Services Coalition, Project Interconnections, the Besser Foundation, and Georgians for Choice. She is a member of the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club, Leadership Atlanta and a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership(IGEL).
Pat Gardner has served our community in the State House of Representatives for 13 years as
Recognitions
Mental Health Association, Georgia Conservation Voters, Women’s Policy Council, AADD, Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, St. Judes
As the Executive Director of the Georgia Psychological Association, she had 30 years of experience in what it takes to run a small business and how to build coalitions to help advance public awareness and generate results on issues important to our health and our neighborhoods.
Pat has served on the Board of the Morningside/Lenox Park Association. She has also served on the Boards of the League of Women Voters, the Learning Disabilities Association of Georgia, the Mental Health Services Coalition, Project Interconnections, the Besser Foundation, and Georgians for Choice. She is a member of the Midtown Atlanta Rotary Club, Leadership Atlanta and a graduate of the Institute for Georgia Environmental Leadership(IGEL).
Pat Gardner has served our community in the State House of Representatives for 13 years as
- Wife, Mother, and Grandmother
- Former teacher and businesswoman
- Consistent, reliable, solution oriented leader
Recognitions
Mental Health Association, Georgia Conservation Voters, Women’s Policy Council, AADD, Georgia Breast Cancer Coalition, Georgia Mental Health Consumer Network, St. Judes
Endorsements
- Black Slate
- Georgia Association of Educators
- Georgia Equality
- Georgia Legislative Black Caucus
- Georgians for Healthy Future (Linda Lowe award)
- Stonewall Democrats
- WIN List
Legislative Priorities
Legislative Action
Too see a list of bills Pat sponsored or cosponsored, cick here.
- Healthcare: ensure access and affordability of healthcare;
- Transportation/Transit: reduce congestion, enhance MARTA’s funding sources, and the development of a regional transit system in the metro area;
- Job Creation: support skill-building to ensure Georgians are prepared for good jobs and invest in infrastructure that grows our economy;
- Education: assure adequate funding for our schools;
- Fair and Accessible Voting The drawing of legislative district maps must provide equitable representation of all minority and partisan voters.
Legislative Action
Too see a list of bills Pat sponsored or cosponsored, cick here.
- Healthcare: Pat works tirelessly to ensure that healthcare coverage is available to all of Georgians and, most recently, to ensure appropriate implementation of the Affordable Care Act including expansion of Medicaid. During the most recent sessions, Pat’s energy focused on advocacy for an expansion of Medicaid to take advantage of available federal dollars. As a member of the Health Appropriations Committee she leads on enhancing behavioral interventions for children in school clinics and in the community A leader on the importance of training and treatment availability for children on the Autism Spectrum and prevention of cervical cancer,
- Mental Health: As Chair of the Study Committee on Mental Health of the Fulton County Delegation of the House, Pat and the committee have advocated for ways to help improve the coordination of services in the County. Services current overlap and are fragmented into a variety of settings including Grady Hospital, the Fulton Behavioral Health Department, Mercy Care and community health centers. This initiative is working to create a One Fulton system of care for county residents should enhance the quality of treatment available and the availability of state and federal funds. She also introduced a bill providing for Psychiatric Advance Directives to assist people with serious mental illness get the treatment they want and they know works well for them when they are in crisis.
- Transportation/Transit: As a member of the Transportation Committee and its Transit Subcommittee, Pat led the effort to make MARTA a part of a Metro Regional Transit Authority to be called the ATL. She fought to ensure the integrity of the current MARTA system within the new structure to protect the 40year investment made by those of us in the existing system serving Atlanta, Fulton and Dekalb.
- Voting Rights and Equal Representation: Pat introduced several constitutional amendments on behalf of the Georgia Redistricting Alliance to create a clear sent of standards in the drawing of districts after the next census. Another created an independent commission to draw the maps.
Committee Assignments
Leadership in the House
Former Leadership Positions
- Appropriations
- Transportation
- Higher Education
- Natural Resources & Environment
- Appropriations Committee’s Health Subcommittee
Leadership in the House
- Chair of the City of Atlanta Delegation
- Secretary of the House Democratic Caucus
Former Leadership Positions
- Treasurer of the Working Families Caucus
- Chair of the Study Committee on Mental Health of the Fulton County Delegation
- Chair of Women’s Legislative Caucus
- Health Committee of National Conference of State Legislators
- Appointed by the Governor to the Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Committee