Mary Grace Gardner
About Mary Grace Gardner
Mary Grace Gardner is a founder and college admissions and career coach with extensive experience in healthcare and education. She currently leads The Young Professionista and Human Centered Reliability, while also serving as Chief of Staff at Intuitive in Sunnyvale, California.
Work at The Young Professionista
Mary Grace Gardner serves as the Founder, College Admissions & Career Coach at The Young Professionista since 2020. In this role, she specializes in guiding students to discover their unique narratives and potential career paths. Her coaching methodology incorporates a holistic approach that emphasizes growth mindset, design thinking, and neuroscience leadership. This framework helps students to effectively launch passion projects and develop essential skills in innovation and project management.
Current Roles and Responsibilities
In addition to her role at The Young Professionista, Mary Grace Gardner is a Co-Founder at Human Centered Reliability, also established in 2020. She holds the position of Business Operations & Chief of Staff for Medical Safety and Innovation at Intuitive, where she has been employed since 2019. Her diverse responsibilities across these organizations reflect her commitment to enhancing operational effectiveness and supporting innovative health solutions.
Education and Expertise
Mary Grace Gardner has an extensive educational background. She earned a Master of Public Health (MPH) with a focus on Maternal and Child Health from the University of California, Berkeley. She holds a Bachelor of Science (BS) in Pure Mathematics from UCLA and has completed a certificate in Lean Healthcare from the University of Michigan. Additionally, she has studied Art and History at the University of Sussex. Her academic credentials support her expertise in coaching and admissions.
Professional Background
Mary Grace Gardner has held various significant positions in her career. Prior to her current roles, she worked at Kaiser Permanente in multiple capacities, including Interim Managing Director of Special Projects for the Georgia Region and Area Portfolio Leader & Chief of Staff. Her experience also includes serving as Director of Strategy and Performance Improvement. Earlier in her career, she interned at Larkin Street Youth Services, focusing on operations and finance.
Achievements and Recognition
Mary Grace Gardner's work has been featured in prominent publications such as Business Insider, CNBC, Yahoo Finance, U.S. News and World Report, and Fast Company. She has been part of the UC Berkeley admissions team, leveraging this experience to enhance her coaching practice. Over the past decade, she has mentored students globally and has been recognized as a speaker on topics related to work/life integration, women's careers, and sustainable systems for change.