Biography

For over 29 years, Julie Gardner, Ph.D., has served the people of Texas. She has served in her current position of AgriLife Extension specialist for healthy lifestyles since 2018. Since 2016, Gardner has been the co-coordinator for Path to the Plate. In her position, she provides oversight for youth health and wellness programs throughout the state. She has been instrumental in developing partnerships and programs related to healthy eating, physical activity, school-based interventions and community-based participatory research. Gardner has also served in multiple statewide AgriLife Extension and Texas 4-H leadership roles and initiatives.

Gardner’s work resulted in an 1115 Medicaid Transformation Waiver Regional Project known as the Central Texas Community Health Initiative, a multi-million-dollar project responsible for delivering health education in schools and communities within seven counties in Central Texas. Gardener earned her bachelor’s in home economics in 1994 and master’s in educational administration in 2000 from Tarleton State University. In 2019, she earned her doctorate in the philosophy of health studies with an emphasis in population health from Texas Woman’s University.