Renée K. Gardner (she/her) is the Principal and Co-Founder of the Gardner/Mills Group. Gardner specializes in planning and directing events, from seminars and conferences to major benefits and premieres, and developing and implementing comprehensive strategies to raise funds and build new and substantial financial support for a diverse array of public institutions and non-profit organizations. As Director of External Affairs for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Museum of American History in the 1980s, she directed all fundraising, special events, and public relations efforts, managing numerous events from intimate dinners to receptions for 5,000 guests. Prior to the Smithsonian, she served as Director of Special Events for Washington, Inc. She also held the positions of Director of the Dwight D. Eisenhower Centennial; Vice President of Italian Aircraft Corporation, a European aviation firm; and, Assistant to the Italian Ambassador of the European Community.
