Mardi Hardt

Mardi Hardt is a Registered Nurse with a background in mental health and psychiatry. Beginning in forensic psychiatry and working with maximum security inmates, she has spent the past 30+ years working in school settings supporting students and the adults who care about them to understand brain development and the effect that stress can have on learning. Her forty-five- year nursing career, coinciding with drastic improvements in brain research, has spanned several distinct eras in how we understand the structure and function of the brain and nervous system. This has allowed her the privilege of observing ongoing, fundamental changes in how we view behaviour, emotion, cognition, and even mental illness. Her mantra continues to be “Now that we know better, how will we do better?” Mardi champions the use of restorative practices in school settings emphasizing the importance of building relationships and a sense of belonging. Her current work with Student Re-engagement Community Conferences (SRCC) supports students and families struggling with chronic absenteeism in a school division outside of Edmonton, Alberta.