MEET PAT GARDNER
Jerry, Anita and Pat Gardner
Pat Gardner completed her 10th session as State Representative in 2011. She presently serves on the House Appropriations, Transportation, Higher Education and Natural Resources & Environment Committees and the Appropriations Committee's Health Subcommittee. She is the Treasurer of the Working Families Caucus , Chair of the Health and Welfare Subcommittee of the Fulton County Delegation, and immediate past chair of the Women's Legislative Caucus.
Recent appointments by the Speaker include the Regional Transit Authority Governance Commission and the Health Committee of the National Conference of State Legislators. Governor Deal appointed Pat to the Health Insurance Exchange Advisory Committee.
Pat works tirelessly to ensure that healthcare coverage is available to all of Georgia's children. Before the Affordable Care Act was passed by Congress, Pat introduced The "Peach Care for All Children Act", a bipartisan effort that would authorize the Department of Community Health to draw additional federal dollars through Medicaid and the current State Children's Health Insurance Program (S-CHIP or PeachCare), would use the buying power of government in negotiating reasonable premiums with insurance carriers for any child who is not insured through the parent's employer, regardless of income level. During the most recent sessions, Pat's energy focused on consolidating government by working to eliminate duplications in eligibility processes for Medicaid and PeachCare and the dual insurance administration of health insurance programs.
As a mother and former teacher who has lived in the neighborhood for more than 38 years, Pat has worked hard to improve the quality of our schools, our neighborhood environment and access to affordable healthcare.
As an association executive, she has had more than 30 years of experience in what it takes to run a small business. She also knows how to build coalitions to help advance public awareness and generate results on issues important to our neighborhoods.
As a legislator with a demonstrated track record of working to protect and raise our quality of life, she has enjoyed the support of community groups like the Women's Policy Group, Georgia Equality, the Georgia Conservation Voters, the Georgia Alliance for Tobacco Prevention, Consumers of Mental Health Services and the Mental Health Services Coalition to name a few.
Being a legislator involves more than passing bills. It involves knowing and understanding the community, listening to the issues of those who live in the district, advancing the public discussion about complicated problems and finding solutions. Being a legislator also means developing and maintaining relationships with other legislators whose advice and support are critical in getting things done for the citizens of our neighborhoods. Some of the problems have to do with the budget - others require working with the bureaucracies to solve problems. She has focused on specific parts of the human services budget.
A little background..
Pat's early years involved a lot of travel including spending a year in Madrid, Spain and another year in rural India.
Pat graduated from the University of Michigan and taught Spanish for eight years before moving to Atlanta with her husband and newborn daughter in 1973. Son Bradley was born here in 1974. As the Executive Director of the Georgia Psychological Association, Pat has been a tireless advocate for mental health services. As a Certified Association Executive (CAE) she has worked in leadership positions with the Georgia Association of Association Executives and as President of the American Psychological Association's Council of State Executives.
The Gardner family on the soccer field. Granddaughter Ella with parents Bradley and Ida Gardner.
As a member of the Morningside community where she has lived for more than 38 years with her husband and two children, 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 and Leadership Atlanta.
