MARC Names Geraldine Ide Gardner Next Executive Director

Posted June 24, 2026

The Mid-America Regional Council Board of Directors announced it has selected Geraldine Ide Gardner as its next executive director following a national search.

She will begin her role on October 1, according to a release.

Gardner succeeds David Warm, who is retiring after 36 years of service as MARC’s executive director. Warm assumed the role in 1990.

Gardner currently serves as executive director of the Centralina Regional Council in Greater Charlotte, which serves nine counties and 2.5 million residents. In that role, she has advanced major organizational initiatives as well as developed strategic initiatives.

“Geraldine is an accomplished leader with a deep understanding of the value of regional partnerships,” Janeé Hanzlick, Johnson County commissioner and chair of the Search Committee, said in the release. “Her experience leading a complex regional council and advancing innovative initiatives will serve MARC and the Kansas City region well as we look to the future.”

Additionally, Gardner served as an adjunct professor at Georgetown University in Washington DC for 6 years. Prior to that, she also served as the director of urban and regional policy at the German Marshall Fund of the United States for over 6.5 years.

Warm will continue to lead the organization through Sept. 30, supporting a smooth transition to new leadership.

Headquartered in Kansas City, the Mid-America Regional Council (MARC) is a nonprofit organization that serves nine counties and 119 cities.