Margaret Ann "Bonny" Gardner, PhD, MPH, is recognized with this 2018 APA Citizen Psychologist Presidential Citation for her leadership and sustained commitment to social justice through dissemination of knowledge, advocacy and leadership in the Austin, Texas community.
From 2006-13, Gardner was on the Austin Mayor’s Mental Health Task Force and the Mayor’s Mental Health Task Force Monitoring Committee. The mission of these groups was to identify problems and needs within the mental health service delivery system, and then to make recommendations for improving access and resources within the system. One of Gardner’s major concerns was ensuring effective public access to psychological and emergency psychiatric services in the community, and another was developing better coordination within existing networks of care. Gardner also served on the Executive Committee of the Texas Suicide Prevention Coalition.
Since her formal service on these committees, Gardner has continued to be involved in promoting increased access and resources for public mental health. For example, in addition to various elected officials, Gardner has consulted with the Sheriff of Austin, Texas, on issues relating to the intersection of criminal justice and the mental health system, including diversion of people suffering from substance use disorders and people with non-violent offenses to rehabilitation programs rather than to jail or prison. This has presented a unique opportunity for psychology to cross traditional disciplinary lines and encourage greater interagency cooperation for the solution of common problems.
For over 25 years, Gardner has been an active member of the Public Affairs Committee of the First Unitarian Church of Austin. The Public Affairs Forum has featured expert speakers on social, economic and political issues, as well as presentations on issues of health policy, human rights and social justice. Gardner chaired the forum from 2009-16. The programs provided a large platform through media to reach a wider audience and provided a means for ordinary citizens to interact directly with experts and public officials. As a psychologist, Gardner provided insight and leadership within the team framework of the committee and demonstrated the importance of psychology in framing public policy.
Gardner’s work as a citizen psychologist specifically on behalf of older adults has also been exemplary. For nearly 25 years, she served on the Steering Committee of the Austin Gray Panthers, which is an affiliate of the national network. Her role within that committee included promotion of health care policy and advocacy, as well as social justice advocacy.
Gardner has a PhD in Cultural Anthropology (1981) from the University of Texas at Austin with specializations in ethnic relations in complex societies and socio-cultural factors in health and illness. She is a graduate of the University of Kentucky (1989) with a PhD in Counseling Psychology.