Downtown New Orleans

Ron Gardner is a New Orleans native who has been locally educated in the New Orleans Public School System. He has a Bachelors degree in Biology and Chemistry from Southern University at New Orleans, and a Masters degree in Public Health from the Tulane School of Public Health and Tropical Medicine. He has traveled widely in 47 states, and is a former Regional Director for Technical Assistance out of the former Department of Health, Education and Welfare (HEW) under the direct supervision of Casper Weinberger. He has served in an advisory capacity to Presidents Nixon, Ford, Carter, and Reagan. Also, as many people know, he was a very trusted assistant to the late Major Ernest N. “Dutch” Morial. He is an honorably discharged U.S. Army Vietnam Veteran.

He has served as Health Planner and Executive Director of the New Orleans Drug Abuse Clinics. He was a key planner in the development of medical and dental clinics in the Algiers Fischer Housing Development. He has done extensive research and study on human relationships. He continues to work as a political and drug abuse consultant and was a key architect of New Orleans’ first and only drug abuse plans. Additionally, he is civically and politically active throughout the greater New Orleans area, the State of Louisiana, and the United States. He remains an avid community resource and volunteer, as well as, Chairman of the New Orleans Area 1 Selective Service Board, (a 15-year Presidential appointment), a founding member of the Louisiana Vietnam Veterans Leadership Program (LVVLP), National Representative on the Agent Orange Class Assistance Program Advisory Board (AOCAP), President of Make-A-Wish Foundation of Louisiana (MAW), Commissioner on the Regional Transit Authority (RTA), Vice-Chairman of the Orleans Parish Private Industry Council, Vice-Chairman of the Mayor’s Military Advisory Committee, Past Chairman of the Greater New Orleans Sports Foundation, Executive Committee of the New Orleans Police and Justice Foundation, recipient of the Young Leadership Council (YLC) Role Model of the Year (2000) and serves in various leadership and support positions with the Urban League, NAACP, Chamber of Commerce, YMCA, organizer and co-founder of the New Orleans Bowl, Executive Committee member of the New Orleans Federal City Project, and many other area and regional business and civic organizations.

Ron Gardner is a writer, lecturer, ardent community and politcal volunteer, avid reader, and is currently Vice-Chancellor for Administrative, Community, & Security Affairs at the LSU Health Sciences Center. Mr. Ron E. Gardner is married and a father of a twenty-four year old son named Jason, a thirty-three year old daughter named Raquel, a thirty-three year old adopted son named Corey and a thirty-six year old nephew named Dwayne. Additionally, he continues to mentor to many young students in the New Orleans area over a thirty-five year period of time.