Bio
Bio: Victoria Gardner
My first novel, "Survival Has Consequences," has reached its final stage. It describes my struggle to survive a live-streamed shooting as the only one to make it out alive.
My professional career includes seventeen years as the Smith Mountain Lake Regional Chamber of Commerce (SMLRCC) executive director. I've held several leadership positions in marketing and business development, including Marketing Director and VP of Franchise Development for a national restaurant company. Additionally, I was a marketing director for an electrical distribution company in Virginia and owned a computer service business and a beauty salon in New York.
I have served on many initiatives and leadership roles, including President of the Smith Mountain Lake Center, Inc., President of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce Executives, board member of the Virginia Chamber of Commerce, Graduate of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce's four-year Institute of Organizational Management, and recipient of the 2016 Virginia’s Blue Ridge Tourism award and the Resilience Award for excellence in chamber leadership. I joined the Franklin Carilion Hospital Board of Trustees in 2007 and became acting Vice President in 2014.
My husband, Tim, and I have lived at Smith Mountain Lake since 1986. Our daughters, Jacqui and Erin, with their husbands and six grandchildren, make up the "joys of life." We are all lake enthusiasts; we epitomize what it means to love the water. I am a passionate writer and professional artist who also loves flower gardening.