John Hardman spent more than 20 years as the head of the Carter Center. He provided leadership for the center’s program initiatives including election monitoring in Asia, Africa and Latin America. He also had a role in public health training in Ethiopia, global development strategies, conflict resolution efforts, and agriculture programs aimed at improving food production in Africa and North Korea.

Hardman joined the Carter Center in 1989 as head of the Initiative to Reduce Global Tobacco Use and directed its Mental Health Program from 1991 to 1993. He was named executive officer in 1992, and in March 2007 became president and CEO.

Hardman received his medical degree from the Medical College of Georgia, trained in psychiatry as a resident at the Mayo Clinic, and completed a child psychiatry fellowship at Emory University. He taught at Emory University School of Medicine and was medical director at Peachford Hospital. 

He has also held leadership positions with many professional and community organizations. Hardman served on the board of directors of the Task Force for Child Survival and Development and the Blum Center for Developing Economies at the University of California, Berkeley. Along with his work with the Carter Center, Hardman has been part of the Emory School of Medicine Advisory Board and the Bobby Jones Advisory Board.