Leadership of Hallmark Group

Charles Gardner
Mr. Gardner is founder of the Hallmark Group, Inc. and has led company initiatives with the creation of the M.I.N.D. Institute on the UC Davis Med Center Campus, the establishment of a new University of California campus in Merced, California, and the conception, formation and implementation of the Bay Area Housing Plan.

Since 1998, he has worked closely with public and private entities on innovative, large scale projects that are significant to the state of California. Mr. Gardner has a successful history of applying his project management expertise to a wide range of complex and politically sensitive initiatives that often require careful coordination of public input with a demanding schedule. Regardless of the subject matter, Mr. Gardner’s talent in facilitating the collaboration of multiple stakeholders with competing agendas enables him to propel often byzantine projects to successful completion. His projects include leading an international group of top scientists in developing a program to cure autism while concurrently passing legislation to enable a research facility to be constructed in California.

In 2002, Hallmark led by Mr. Gardner, was called upon to save the struggling program for the UC Merced Campus. Delays in environmental permitting and site design coupled with a state budget crisis prompted legislators to call for a halt to the project. Mr. Gardner developed and implemented a successful strategy that mitigated design delays while managing environmental permitting concurrent with construction. His efforts led to a successful campus opening to students in 2005.

In 2004 Mr. Gardner was asked to present to the Little Hoover Commission a plan to solve a statewide housing crisis for a $4B state agency. He assembled a large and diverse team of California Regional Centers, state agencies, thought leaders, lenders, non-profit organizations, and community stakeholders to create a plan that led to the reinvention of the way the state provides housing and services under this agency. The successful implementation of this groundbreaking project in 2008 gave legislators the incentive to approvea senate bill to adopt this model statewide. In 2008, Mr. Gardner was honored by the California State Senate for his contribution and efforts towards improving the lives of children with neuro-developmental disorders.

Matt Friesen
Mr. Friesen is co-founder of the Hallmark Group. He is responsible for all of the firm’s state and bond funded capital improvement projects. Through his work as program manager, Mr. Friesen has utilized his in-depth knowledge of the public works financing and funding process, to facilitate and oversee the development of over $500M of state funded projects in California. As Program Manager, Mr. Friesen coordinates design and construction efforts, facilitates the collaboration of the project team, and supports the mission of the project. His combined knowledge of finance, programming, and construction management contributed to the successful opening of the 10th campus of the University of California system. Mr. Friesen is also the co-founder of Land Park Academy and Capital Autism Services, site-based non-public schools and residential clinical care providers serving children with autism. Additionally Mr. Friesen is a founding board member of Hallmark Community Solutions, a non-profit development company specializing in the finance and construction of projects that serve people with special needs, including autism. Mr. Friesen’s career choices have been driven by his lifelong ambition to build significant and meaningful man-made environments.

Jacqueline Harris, CPA
Ms. Jacqueline Harris serves as Chief Financial Officer for all of Mr. Gardner and Mr. Friesen’s companies, including Hallmark Group, Advance Education, and Pediatric Bioscience. Ms. Harris brings twenty years of accounting, finance, and business planning experience to Hallmark Group. From 1997 to 2005, Ms. Harris focused her career in public accounting with a regional firm, S.J. Gallina & Co., LLP, serving the needs of her clients in the areas of forensic auditing, governmental regulatory compliance, and financial and general business planning in Northern California. Ms. Harris has extensive experience in audits subject to Governmental Auditing Standards and financial reporting for both for profit and not-for-profit companies. Prior to joining S.J. Gallina & Co., Ms. Harris spent twelve years in the industry as an accountant in a supervisory capacity in the areas of healthcare, construction equipment and manufacturing.

Ms. Harris is a graduate of the University of La Verne with a Bachelor of Science Degree in Accounting. She is a licensed CPA and a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants, the California Society of Certified Public Accountants, and the California Society’s Governmental Accounting and Auditing Committee.