By Jordyn Davis | The Birmingham Times
Geno Gardner isn’t your typical Community Manager at JP Morgan Chase. While he clocks in every weekday, his focus extends far beyond personal or corporate gain. Gardner builds trust and teaches financial education in underserved communities to show up for Birmingham. And while most workforce traits are developed within a company, Gardner got his start at an early age when he enlisted in the Army.
Gardner attended Proviso West High School in Illinois, and while he took his education seriously, he had no idea what he would do after he graduated.
“I knew by my junior year that I didn’t want to go to college,” Gardner said. “We had a career day at my high school, and you bet your bottom dollar I was there. The Army was there, and they were dressed in greens. I saw them in their uniform, and I loved how [the recruiter] looked in that uniform. I love the discipline, poise. I said, ‘I want to do that,’”
The discipline of the Army was a priceless facet to Gardner. During his 22 years in the military and multiple combat tours, Gardner took to all the lessons the Army taught him, particularly the lessons in building income, nurturing relationships and giving back to the community.
He continued his service through ministry after his successful military career. During Gardner’s deployment in South Korea, he connected with fellow Christians who discipled him. According to Gardner, his brothers spoke life into him and kept him focused on the Lord.
After the Army, Gardner landed in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, and had every intention of retiring until he passed through a local congregation that offered him the opportunity to plant a church wherever he chose to go. After consulting God, his family and friends who highly recommended the Magic City, he chose Birmingham. He moved to the city in 2022 and immediately got to work not only in ministry, but also in education. Then another opportunity came his way.
“While I was teaching JROTC at Wenonah High School [in Birmingham], I had a good childhood friend of mine from Chicago who had been working for Chase about as long as I’d been in the Army,” Gardner said. “He told me about a new role opening up in Birmingham for the Community Manager position and that he thought I would be great for it. He sent me the job description, I read it, loved it and applied for it.”
Let’s talk finances
As Community Manager at JP Morgan Chase, Gardner is responsible for teaching financial workshops, strategizing different ways to foster economic inclusion, and developing partnerships with local leaders. Gardner’s favorite part of the job is bridging wealth gaps and exploring systemic issues.
“I may teach from 7 to 14 workshops in one month,” Gardner said. “So, that’s almost half my month in workshops. Chase has given me a wide library with well over 53 workshops from kindergarten all the way up to senior citizens. Those particular workshops help me get connected to all ages in the city of Birmingham.”
According to Gardner, teaching these workshops not only benefits the community, but they also help him to identify areas of growth.
“Teaching these workshops has really helped me help others navigate through systemic thought traps and issues within their own families that have kept them from growing their finances and scaling,” he said. “Budgeting, savings, and goal setting are just some of the preliminary fundamental frameworks that allow us to really build or connect to wealth, because one thing begets the other.”
Aside from his mother, Suzanne Faulkner had an enormous impact on his life and helped influence his approach to money. She taught him meaningful skills such as balancing a check book, how to avoid overspending, and organizational skills.
“I had struggled financially when I was a young solider. I never had money in the bank and didn’t understand overdraft protection. Then I encountered Suzanne Faulkner, who was a minister at church and she talked about life insurance and budgets. She just helped me as a young man,” Gardner said.
A selfless servant
In addition to his military and corporate service, Gardner has also been a pastor for over eight years. Gardner and his wife Corene are the current pastors of Rehoboth Church on Centerpoint Parkway. Gardner says his ambition to serve the community stems from his faith, and it is his walk with the Lord that allows him to lead others.
“It’s all about helping for me,” he said. “I really am a giver. I’m a selfless servant and I have been my entire life. I just love to see people grow. When I can see a life change, a life impacted for the better, that’s the greatest reward, both as a Pastor and as a Chase employee.”
Gardner’s path to becoming a Pastor wasn’t easy. While he was raised in the church, he never had a personal relationship with God. It wasn’t until he was 19 and left for the Army that he had his first true experience getting closer to God. He uses these experiences to pour into the hearts of others.
As Gardner looks to the future, he’s most looking forward to continuing to contribute to the growth of Birmingham.
“I want to always be a light to help people grow and scale their life, be a better them, whether it be thought-wise or family-wise,” Gardner said. “I just want to stay connected to the community in some way, shape or form. Hearing their cries, hearing their woes, understanding them, their success stories, their victories, their transformation. As long as it’s community, it’s me.”
