Shamoyia Gardiner

Shamoyia Gardiner has built a career working at the intersection of education, advocacy, and youth development, with her teaching experience serving as the catalyst for her commitment to policy. She is Executive Director of Strong Schools Maryland, a nonprofit working to ensure that all Maryland students have access to a world-class education system. Previously, she served as the Education Policy Director at Advocates for Children and Youth, a former organization that improved the lives and experiences of Maryland’s children through policy change and program improvement. She was a Policy Research Analyst at the Family League of Baltimore and led project-based work with the Institute for Higher Education Policy, the DC State Board of Education, Atlanta Public Schools, and the Annie E. Casey Foundation’s Atlanta Civic Site. She is a board member at Building Our Nation’s Daughters and The Intersection and serves as a coordinating “mama” with A Revolutionary Summer. She was named a Peter Jennings Award winner for her efforts to advocate for the Blueprint for Maryland’s Future. Gardiner earned her Master of Education Policy and Leadership from American University and her Bachelor of Political Science from the University of Florida.