Board Member
Hometown
Chicago, IL
What was your favorite toy or game to play with as a child?
I loved playing Canasta (a card game) with my aunts and cousins while the men watched football. Then we got to hear all the family gossip as kids.
What was your favorite thing about being a child, and do you try to hold onto that spirit as an adult?
I loved spending time in the kitchen with my Nani and Abuelita and learned all my cooking and life skills from both of them. It was like growing up in a kibbutz as we had cousins aunts and uncles all around all the time. And everyone knew everyone else in the neighborhood.
What was the most valuable lesson you learned as a child, and how has it influenced your life today?
Growing up on the south side of Chicago in a large Italian neighborhood, I learned to be proud of my Mexi-talian heritage and the strength of the immigrant experience.
What was the most challenging experience you faced as a child, and how did you overcome it?
I remember the first time I ever saw my dad cry when he found out his mom passed away. I was 13 and I felt so helpless. I remember us kids trying to be so good and not bother him. As he aged I loved that we had time to talk and process things like this before he passed away.
What advice would you give to your younger self, based on what you've learned throughout your life so far?
Don't be in such a rush to grow up, savor the moments, and spend more time with the elders in your life learning the family oral history.
Biography
Emmie Gardner, MSW LCSW is Chief Executive Officer for Holy Cross Ministries (HCM), a non-profit social service organization in Salt Lake City Utah that responds to the underserved community’s need for health and well-being. HCM’s programs include early childhood education, health outreach, counseling, and immigration services. Emmie is a mission driven leader with a demonstrated 35-year history of working in non-profit health system as well as mental health care and social service settings. After 27+ years at Primary Children's, Emmie remains a passionate pediatric advocate. As the daughter of an immigrant, she is also passionate about helping immigrant and underserved populations and helping them to find their voice. She is a clinical social worker by training who also hold a graduate certificate in mediation and conflict resolution, both from the University of Utah. Emmie and her husband are proud parents of 2 amazing adult daughters who have launched and now live and work in the Pacific Northwest.
