Mario Garner is an Educational Leadership Doctoral Program alum from the College of Education. During the summer 2013, he was hired to serve as CEO of the Eastern New Orleans Hospital. Previous to his hiring, the Eastern New Orleans community was without a local hospital in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Garner has been recognized multiple times for his exceptional work in the community, including the Modern Healthcare’s Up & Comers, who honor accomplished healthcare leaders under the age of 40. In 2015, Garner was recognized by the American College of Healthcare Executives as a recipient of the 2015 Robert S. Hudgens Memorial Award for Young Healthcare Executive of the Year. This honor recognizes healthcare executives, CEOs, or chief operating officers in a healthcare organization, under the age of 40.

Garner led the task of conducting the hospital’s construction, along with leading accreditation and licensing efforts. While building the physical hospital, Garner led recruitment efforts for new staff. Now the hospital has over 300 staff members (including 100 physicians and 230 other employees), ready to serve the Eastern New Orleans Community of over 120,000 residents.

Garner’s success in the first year of his hospital’s opening is merely the beginning. He continues to set new goals for the East New Orleans Hospital, striving to push it to the peak of its potential in serving the Eastern New Orleans Community.