Kara Gardner joined GPC as assistant director of scholarships and stewardship. (Photo by Bill Roa.)

Students seeking assistance with scholarships will find a new advocate at Georgia Perimeter College.

Kara Gardner recently came on board as GPC’s assistant director of scholarships and stewardship.

Gardner, who previously worked with Spelman College for six years–first as assistant director of admissions and then in a scholarship coordinator role–looks forward to expanding her development skills as part of the new position.

 “My interests have always been in higher education policy and leadership,” says Gardner. While at Spelman, she worked on her doctorate in educational leadership at Clark Atlanta University. Her particular passion, however, is helping military members and veterans navigate the educational system.

In 2007 Gardner’s husband, U.S. Army Sgt. Freeman Gardner, was killed in Iraq. Becoming a war widow at such a young age—she was 27 when her husband died—helped Gardner realize her passion for helping others attain higher education. “I understand a lot of the lingo and the specific requirements and needs of military vets. I know how hard it must be to return from war and get acclimated to a college setting,” she says.

Gardner grew up in Moore, Okla., and earned a bachelor’s in public relations and marketing at the University of Central Oklahoma. She also received a master’s in higher education administration from the University of Oklahoma. Her role at Georgia Perimeter is to manage scholarships and implement a GPC Foundation stewardship plan.

“I want to get the scholarship process online so it will be more user-friendly for students who are applying for awards,” Gardner says. “As far as stewardship, it will be important that donors feel appreciated and feel connected to the college and to the students they are able to assist.”

Besides her busy schedule at work, Gardner is the political advocacy chair-elect for Junior League of Atlanta, corresponding secretary for Alpha Kappa Alpha Clayton-Henry Chapter and selections co-chair for New Leaders Council Atlanta.