June 23, 2026 — The Centralina Board of Delegates Executive Board announced Executive Director Geraldine Gardner has accepted the executive director position with the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) in Kansas City, MO. Her last day with Centralina is September 30, 2026.
“On behalf of the Board of Delegates, I want to thank Geraldine for her vision, strategic leadership and commitment to advancing Centralina’s mission over the past seven years,” said Centralina Regional Council Board of Delegates Chair and Stallings Mayor David Scholl. “With the support of an outstanding team of professionals, Geraldine has strengthened our profile across the region and beyond, expanded our portfolio and enhanced member services. This was accomplished with a focus on meaningful partnerships and engagement.”
Centralina’s Board and staff are committed to maintaining the high-quality services our members and partners expect. Gardner will remain engaged in strategic and day-to-day functions through the end of her tenure. Organizational operations will continue as normal, consistent with the adopted FY27 Work Plan and established practices, with no interruption to services or support.
The Executive Board will engage a national executive search firm to lead the search for Centralina’s next executive director.
Gardner began her role as executive director of Centralina Regional Council in January 2019. She previously served as director of Urban and Regional Policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) in Washington, D.C. At GMF, Geraldine led the program’s transatlantic initiatives to convene policymakers and practitioners from U.S. and European cities to explore key issues in the transatlantic urban agenda. Her expertise lies in the integrated policies and cross-sector partnerships needed to build sustainable and inclusive cities.
Prior to joining GMF in 2012, Gardner served in key leadership positions under three different mayors of the District of Columbia. Most notably, she served for five years as the associate director for Neighborhood Planning in the D.C. Office of Planning. In this role, she led the successful completion of over 18 neighborhood and revitalization plans that reshaped the physical landscape of the city, including the master plan to develop the historic Saint Elizabeth East Campus. Her work at the local level focused on the intersection between economic development strategy, community revitalization and physical planning. Gardner also worked in a variety of research and urban planning roles in the cities of Los Angeles, New York and Berlin.
Gardner has a master’s degree in urban planning from the University of California, Los Angeles and a bachelor’s degree in metropolitan studies from New York University. She was an adjunct professor in Georgetown University’s Urban Planning Department from 2016-2019 and is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners (AICP), American Planning Association (APA) and the International City and County Managers Association (ICMA).
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