James A. Garner, President and CEO of Garner Group International, LLC was the Chief Deputy Comptroller of Nassau County, NY, for the last three years, and Deputy Comptroller from 2011 to 2014.
He is also a former four-term Mayor for the Village of Hempstead, New York. Elected in 1989, he has the distinction of becoming Long Island’s first African-American mayor, serving in his capacity from 1989-2005. Before being elected mayor, Garner was a member of the Village Board of Trustees from 1984-1989.

Garner also had the honor of serving as President of Nassau County Village Officials from 1999-2000, and he was elected President of the US Conference of Mayors in 2003. As President of the Conference of Mayors, Garner was the nation’s ambassador on city revitalization, community development and public/private partnerships to other city mayors and to corporate America. During his tenure as Hempstead Village mayor, Garner partnered with the private sector and Federal and State government agencies to rebuild his community’s downtown, re-establishing its economic base on Long Island, and rejuvenating its housing stock and thereby reversing more than 20-year community decline.

An astute businessman, Garner founded and operated a successful pest control business for many years. An army veteran of the Vietnam era, Garner received his Bachelor’s Degree, from Adelphi University and he holds an Honorary Degree of Doctorate of Civil Law from Molloy College. He is also a member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity.

Career Highlights James A. Garner

• Chief Deputy Comptroller, County of Nassau, NY
• Former Member of Board of Director, China Natural Gas
• Official U. S Delegate, World Summit on Sustainable Development, Johannesburg, South Africa (appointed by President George W. Bush)
• Met with His Holiness Pope John Paul II at the Vatican, 2004
• Met with His Eminence Cardinal Francis Arinze at the Vatican, 2004
• Appointed to Homeland Security State and Local Officials Senior Advisory Committee Board Member, International Republican Institute
• Chairman, U.S. Mayoral Delegation to Jerusalem Conference of Mayors, 2004
• Chairman, US Conference of Mayors’ Mission to Africa, 2003
• President, Nassau County Village Officials Association, 1999-2000
• Republican candidate, Fourth Congressional District of New York, 2004
• Delegate, International Republican Institute’s election observation mission to Ukraine’s parliamentary election, 1998
• Delegate, U.S. Conference of Mayors to Mexico to promote localism in Latin America
• President, US Conference of Mayors, 2003-2004
• Chairman, US Conference of Mayors’
• Mayors/Business Investment Forum, Las Vegas, 2004