James F. Gardner, PhD - President and Chief Executive Officer

James F. Gardner, PhD is the President and Chief Executive Officer of The Council on Quality and Leadership. From 1977 to 1986 he served as Director of Community Programs and then as Vice President for Community Program Development at The Kennedy Krieger Institute at The Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Gardner received his PhD in a dual program of American Studies and American Social History from Indiana University. He was awarded a Joseph P. Kennedy, Jr., Post-Doctoral Fellowship in Medical Ethics at the Harvard Medical School. Dr. Gardner later completed the Masters in Administrative Sciences program at The Johns Hopkins University.

Dr. Gardner has held faculty appointments at The Johns Hopkins University and the University of Maryland. He has written and edited numerous publications in the field of human services.

Dr. Gardner is a nationally recognized leader in the application of quality improvement methods to the field of human services. Through presentations at national conferences, in his teaching and writing, and during organizational consultations, Dr. Gardner argues that the measurement of quality must move from compliance with organizational process to facilitating person-centered outcomes for people. In 2004, The American Association on Mental Retardation (AAMR) honored Dr. Gardner with the National Leadership Award, a prestigious honor given annually to an individual who has proven to be an exceptional leader in human services.

Publications and Articles include:

Program Issues in Developmental Disabilities: A Guide to Effective Habilitation and Active Treatment

Measuring Quality of Life and Quality of Services Through Personal Outcome Measures: Implications for Public Policy

Leadership and Organizational Behavior

Quality Performance in Human Services: Leadership, Values, and Visions

Personal Outcomes Drive Active Treatment: Rethinking the Clinicians’ Role

Beyond Compliance to Responsiveness: Accreditation Reconsidered

Maintaining Quality and Managing Change: Administration in Transition

Redesigning Organizations: Cultural, Structural, and Political Realities