Emily Gardner

With a background in communications, finance, and production, Emily Gardner has long been the kind of person you can count on to keep things moving—smoothly, accurately, and without unnecessary noise. As BREAD’s Director of Operations, she ensures our internal systems support the creative work, not complicate it. To put it succinctly, she provides clarity, structure, and a quiet sense of order to all of BREAD’s work processes.

Emily earned her bachelor’s degree in Communications with a focus on Public Relations from Mississippi State University. She began her career in real estate and banking—first as a marketing and technology director for a high-performing firm and then as a top-producing mortgage lender—where she honed her ability to anticipate needs, manage expectations, and stay two steps ahead. She started at BREAD, focusing on data integrity and quality control, quickly becoming the go-to for solving logistical challenges and keeping us aligned across timelines, tools, and teams. Before that, she supported client relationships and production systems at our sister company, Blue Hen Agency.

Today, she leads BREAD’s operations with clarity and care, streamlining the backend so the front end can thrive. From optimizing workflows to guiding internal strategy, Emily helps make our work not just better, but more sustainable. She’s our operational North Star—the person who remembers the details we forget, asks the questions we didn’t think to ask, and brings calm focus when things start to feel a little too… creative.