For Elaine Cardenas, MBA ‘88, PhD Cultural Studies ’11, the Cultural Studies Program, housed within the College of Humanities and Social Sciences at George Mason University, transformed how she views the world. What began as a pursuit of intellectual growth evolved into a life-changing experience that challenged her assumptions, deepened her understanding of complex social issues, and ultimately influenced the way she serves her community today.
Her commitment to service includes giving back to the George Mason program that changed her career path. She established the Elaine Hanson Cardenas Endowment through a planned gift, which is designed to support both students and programming.
Director of the Cultural Studies Program, Tim Gibson, highlights the powerful effect of this type of gift.
“We are so thankful for Elaine's generosity and her love of learning. Planned gifts strengthen the foundation of programs that, like ours, nurture critical thinking and inspire students to apply knowledge for the common good. This gift will help our faculty create enriching opportunities and experiences for students that promote thoughtful inquiry, meaningful dialogue, and innovative scholarship,” notes Gibson. “Elaine’s journey demonstrates the transformative power of doctoral study in the field of cultural studies, and her gift makes it possible for future students to experience the same intellectual curiosity, sense of community, and desire for civic engagement that she brought to our program during her studies.”
When Cardenas started her doctoral program, she brought her experience as a senior executive at leading social policy research organizations in Washington, D.C. Her work centered on directing national projects focused on issues ranging from mental health and substance abuse prevention to military life and public policy. Her expertise was already extensive, and she was ready to learn even more. She soon found herself immersed within a community of students from around the globe and faculty who are leaders in the field. Her educational experiences through class discussions, working groups, presenting papers, colloquia, and helping to establish the Cultural Studies Association, became a wealth of information, ideas, and knowledge.
This community became a foundation of friendships and connections that continue to resonate with her today. Cardenas credits the program with fundamentally changing the way she approaches her work and her role in the world.
“My George Mason education had a profound effect on my career today. My prior experience made me alert to different issues. However, while being part of the program, I started to peel back layers around these issues to get a 360-degree view of driving factors, implications, and what difficult questions need to be addressed to get to their core,” recalls Cardenas. “The Cultural Studies Program created in me a sense of needing to be involved and I later found myself getting engaged in the civic activities within my community, which was something I never imagined myself doing.”
Cardenas has since been actively engaged in civic service and is in her second term as elected County Clerk of Hays County, Texas, which serves residents of the fastest growing county in the United States. She oversees some of the county's most important public records and has earned recognition for innovative leadership and a commitment to transparency and service. She is also the first county clerk in the United States to completely automate the recording process, greatly improving efficiency and accuracy, which enabled staff to then work more closely with community members.
Her career is a testament to the values-based approach of a George Mason education.
“George Mason instills not only knowledge, but also important values, including a commitment to community. My MBA program, also completed at George Mason, emphasized ethics in business, and this matched to topics within the Cultural Studies Program, which tied it all together for me. This was an intentional and valuable outcome of my education that should not be overlooked.”
These connections between knowledge, values, and community inspired Cardenas to include the university in her estate plans. Her planned gift is an investment in the next generation and the future leaders who will grapple with the pressing challenges of the 21st century.
Her commitment to the Cultural Studies Program is received while the university is leading its first $1B comprehensive campaign, Mason Now: Power the Possible, and reflects the importance our George Mason community places in improving the world around them and in giving back.
Elaine Cardenas received the College of Humanities and Social Sciences 2024 Distinguished Alumni Award in Cultural Studies. Cardenas is grateful to many, but particularly to her late husband, Rene Cardenas, who was responsible for their move to Texas, where she discovered the opportunity to use her leadership experience as an elected official.
For more information about George Mason’s Cultural Studies Program, visit: culturalstudies.gmu.edu.