JACKSON, MISSISSIPPI – May 13, 2022 – Curt Gabardi, president and CEO of First Commercial Bank (firstcommercialbk.com) today announced that Mississippi Children’s Museum president and CEO Susan Garrard has joined the bank’s Board of Directors as its newest member.
Curt Gabardi, president and CEO of First Commercial Bank (firstcommercialbk.com) today announced that Mississippi Children’s Museum President and CEO Susan Garrard has joined the bank’s Board of Directors as its newest member.
“I have known Susan my entire adult life and have greatly respected her tireless and unwavering leadership of the Mississippi Children’s Museum. Susan has earned a well-established reputation as a leader in the broader metro Jackson community and now, throughout the state of Mississippi. There’s no doubt that the Children’s Museum and adjacent amenities have become a tremendous enhancement to the overall quality of life in Jackson,” Gabardi said in a written statement.
“With the recent addition of Micajah Sturdivant and Candie Simmons to our Board, we are the beneficiary of significant new leadership around our Board table that will continue to advance the Bank’s strategic growth objectives. I believe Susan’s addition to the Board will certainly complement our governance momentum while deepening our roots in the Jackson community and throughout the Bank’s geographic footprint,” Gabardi added.
About Susan Garrard
President & Chief Executive Officer
Mississippi Children’s Museum
and First Commercial Bank Board Member
Ms. Garrard has been the President and CEO of the Mississippi Children’s Museum (MCM) since 2008. She was responsible for successfully completing and administering a $26.6 million capital campaign that realized the dream of a children’s museum in Jackson, Mississippi and then the subsequent expansion and opening of a satellite campus in Meridian, MS in 2021.
Under Garrard’s leadership, MCM has hosted over 1.6 million visitors since opening and received multiple awards and recognition for its programs, visitor experience, and financial stewardship.
She serves on the Mississippi Tourism Association Board, Greater Belhaven Neighborhood Foundation Board and has served on the boards of the Association for Children’s Museums in Washington, D.C., the Junior League of Jackson serving as President, and many other volunteer and civic activities in Jackson and statewide.
A native of Sebastopol, Mississippi, Garrard is a graduate of Mississippi State University and the State University of New York. She and her husband, John Garrard, have lived in Jackson since 1984 and have two sons, Jack, and William.