Emmie Gardner

Emmie Gardner is CEO for Holy Cross Ministries (HCM), a non-profit social service organization that has been in Salt Lake City Utah for 25 years. Their mission is to respond to the underserved community’s need for health and well-being, via three main pillars of service – Health, Education, and Justice.  Emmie is a mission driven leader with a demonstrated 35-year history of working in non-profit healthcare as well as mental health and social service settings - spending 27 years at Primary Children’s in the psychiatry and cancer service lines. As the daughter of an immigrant, she is passionate about helping immigrant and underserved populations and empowering them to find their voice. 

She is a clinical social worker by training who also holds a graduate certificate in mediation and conflict resolution, both from the University of Utah. Emmie maintains her affiliation with the College of Social Work(CSW) by being a member of their Community Advisory Board and Admissions Review Committee. Emmie is a passionate pediatric advocate and a member of the Board of Directors for Voices for Utah Children. 

She completed a certification in Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (URLEND) from Utah State University. She is developing enhanced programming in her organization to advance the intersectionality of culture and neuro-diversity. Emmie and her husband are proud parents of 2 fiercely independent adult daughters who have launched and now live and work in the Pacific Northwest. Emmie especially loves her abuelita (grandma) time with her granddaughter.