James Gardner Puts DEI into Practice for Madison VA

Gardner grew up in Chicago, but his journey includes stops in Illinois, New York, Connecticut and Germany before coming to the Madison VA.

“I’m the Veteran Equitable Resource Allocation coordinator and oversee the business model that allocates our congressional budget for the services we provide Veterans. I oversee data support for the facility and incorporate the data into the facility's strategic improvement efforts. And I’m the diversity equity and inclusion strategic planning lead.”

Gardner takes a lot of pride in his DEI work and feels the overall culture of the VA has made strides recently.

“It’s become much more expressive. It’s interesting because we have never had a secretary that has explicitly stated their interest in being an advocate for diversity, equity, inclusion, justice and access. Our local leadership proactively looks for ways to support and expand opportunities for our staff and patients. That all ties in together to make the work here in Madison successful.”

Gardner is also proud of how DEI is becoming incorporated into the organization.

“Creating that welcoming environment is critical for recruitment, retention and fulfilling our mission. We all need to feel comfortable to do our best work. It’s one thing to have our value statement displayed, but we’re also living it. It’s no longer what we do, but it’s becoming who we are.”

While much of Gardner’s work is focused on staff, he knows it has a direct impact on the Veterans in our care.

“If you are feeling unsafe anywhere in the world, the VA should be the place you feel safe. It should be your safe haven. Regardless of any identities, generational, sexual, racial, anything, you should be able to walk into a VA and get the support and care you need from everyone around you.”

For more information about the Madison VA Hospital, visit www.madison.va.gov, www.facebook.com/MadisonVAHospital and subscribe to our newsletters.