Lecturer, Center for Integrated Design
Hollie Gardner, founder of Gardner AI Insights, specializes in conducting workshops and offering personalized coaching to demystify AI and guide ethical and practical implementation. Her company also delivers expert data science and user experience design services on a contract basis. Alongside her entrepreneurial endeavors, Hollie contributes her strategy and AI expertise to transform.forward, a consultancy focused on advancing higher education.
Most recently, Hollie dedicated ten years to academic libraries as the Director of Strategic Initiatives and the User Experience Librarian for the Southern Methodist University Libraries. Hollie possesses extensive UX research and design expertise, significantly impacting various projects from improving discovery systems to website development and service optimization to redesigning library spaces. She is well-versed in strategic planning, advanced data analysis, and delivering information literacy instruction. Additionally, Hollie was appointed as the inaugural diversity officer for the SMU Libraries, where she spearheaded efforts to identify barriers to inclusion within the library system.
Her educational background is as diverse as her career, holding a master’s in Data Science from SMU, complemented by a master’s in Library Science and a bachelor’s in Music, both from the University of North Texas. Additionally, Hollie received an honorary degree from the SMU Masters of Arts in Design and Innovation for her contributions to secondary research in design as the department’s subject librarian. Her current research interests include the influence of AI model design, from data collection practices to user interfaces, on shaping societal perceptions and devising strategies to counteract the proliferation of misinformation and disinformation.