MARY E. GARDNER

1638 Mulberry Lane, San Jose, CA 95125
(408) 677-4203

EDUCATION

University of California, Berkeley
Graduate Studies (ABD) – Emphasis: Language and Literacy Development
Research Assistant to Anne H. Dyson, Emerging Literacy Project

San Jose State University
Administrative Credential Program

University of Redlands
M.A. – Administration and Curriculum Development
Thesis: The Effects of a Staff Development Program on Students Learning to Write

University of Wyoming
Graduate Studies – Speech Pathology

Nazareth College of Rochester
Speech and Language Developmental Disorders; Psycholinguistics

University of Rochester
Neurolinguistics

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association
Speech and Language Certification

University of Wyoming, Laramie
B.A. – Majors: English and Speech

Honors:

  • Sophomore and Senior Women’s Honor Society
  • Who’s Who in American Colleges and Universities

CREDENTIALS

  • California State Life Credential – General Secondary
  • California State Life Credential – Administration (K–12)
  • American Speech and Hearing Certification

EXPERIENCE

2003–Present
Consultant and Curriculum Writer, Prevention Partnership International

  • Programs: Celebrating Families! and ¡Celebrando Familias!
  • Consultant to school districts and boards of education
  • Instructor, San Jose State University – Master’s Degree and Credential in Administration

1992–2003
Superintendent, Saratoga Union School District, Saratoga, CA

1989–1992
Instructor, California State University, Hayward

  • Master’s and Credential in Administration

1988–1989
Instructor and Visiting Practitioner, Harvard Graduate School of Education

1980–1988
Director of Special Education; Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Staff Development, Saratoga Union School District

1976–1980
Coordinator of Early Childhood and School Improvement Programs, Saratoga Union School District

1973–1975
Language Specialist, Project Follow-Through (Bank Street Model), Rochester, NY

1961–1973
English Teacher and Speech & Language Pathologist, Rochester, NY School District

COMMUNITY & EDUCATIONAL LEADERSHIP

  • PTA President
  • Board Member & Vice President, Young Audiences
  • Parent Advisory Committee, Rochester School District – Reorganization & Integration
  • President, Los Gatos/Saratoga ACSA
  • Board Member, Kids Are Special
  • Co-convener, California Network of Women in Education
  • Member: Phi Delta Kappa, Phi Lambda Theta, Delta Kappa Gamma (honor societies)
  • Member: California Teachers of English, Santa Clara Reading Council, National Council of Teachers of English
  • Member: Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development (ASCD), Association of California School Administrators (ACSA)
  • Advisory Board: Children’s Musical Theater of San Jose, Celebrating Families
  • Board Member: Friends Outside, Education Foundation, Parisi House on the Hill
  • Member: American Association of University Women (AAUW), League of Women Voters, Southern Poverty Law Center, ACLU

AWARDS

  • Woman of Distinction – Soroptimist Club
  • Commendation for Outstanding Contribution – Santa Clara County Board of Supervisors
  • Woman of the Year – ACSA Women’s Caucus and California Network of Women in Education

PUBLICATIONS

  • “An Educator’s Concerns About the California Reading Initiative,” The New Advocate, Vol. 1:4 (1988)
  • Home Sweet Homework, co-authored with Les Landin, Fearon Publisher (1990)
  • The Constructivist Leader, 2nd Ed., co-author, Teachers College Press, Columbia University (2002)
  • The Constructivist Leader, co-author, Teachers College Press, Columbia University (1995)
  • Women’s Ways of Leading, co-author with Linda Lambert, Dog Ear Press (2009)
  • Liberating Leadership Capacity: Pathways to Educational Wisdom, co-authored with Linda Lambert and Diane Zimmerman (2016)
  • Women’s Ways of Leading: Revisited (2025)

PRESENTATIONS & CONSULTING

Keynote Speaker

  • Phi Lambda Theta Regional Conference
  • ACSA Women’s Caucus
  • League of Women Voters

Workshops

  • Children’s Literature & Language Development
  • Integrated Language Arts
  • School Improvement & Participatory Planning
  • Change Management in Education
  • Women’s Ways of Leading
  • Leadership Capacity
  • Constructivist Leadership