Tracie Gardner is the vice president of policy advocacy at the Legal Action Center, which advocates for people with criminal records, substance use disorders, and HIV or AIDS, and the former assistant secretary of mental hygiene for New York State (2015-2017), where she oversaw the Office of Alcoholism and Substance Abuse Services, Office of Mental Health, Office for People with Developmental Disabilities, the Developmental Disabilities Planning Council, and the Justice Center for the Protection of People with Special Needs.