Margaret Garner has been with the University of Alabama for 29 years, serving in her current position as faculty and nutrition therapist in the Family Medicine Residency Program since 1979.  For the past three years, Margaret has serviced as chair for the Higher Education Partnership's Executive Committee and Board of Directors.  During her tenure as chair, she was instrumental in starting this award.

A native of Waycross, Georgia, Mrs. Garner received her B.S. degree from Georgia Southern University and her M.S. in Nutrition and Public Health from the University of Tennessee.  She also completed her graduate fellowship in Nutrition, Mental Retardation and Development Disorders at the University of Tennessee Medical School, Child Development Center in Memphis.  She and her late husband Dr. Bob Garner, former Assistant Dean of the UA College of Arts and Sciences have five sons, three married and twins that attend the University of Alabama.