By Steve Heide
Dan Gardenswartz and Steve Heide joined the Words Alive Board of Directors in September. In common, Dan and Steve were initially introduced to Words Alive through their wives, who coincidentally both have backgrounds in education. Now let’s meet them!
Tell us about yourself (work, personal life, hobbies/interests, etc.)
Dan Gardenswartz
Dan: My work is a civil trial attorney with the local law firm know as Solomon Ward, where I focus on civil rights, employment, and business litigation. I’ve been married for over 33 years and every year gets better, with three adult children. My interests include mountain biking, running, kayaking, skiing, reading (especially physics for non-mathematically inclined) and deep conversations.
Steve Heide
Steve: My wife, Gabrielle, and I are fairly recently retirees, and transplants from the Los Angeles area to San Diego when we retired about three years ago. We have two adult children, one grandchild, and another grandbaby on the way. As for hobbies and interests, grandparent-hood is at the very top of my list. In addition, I love to cook and bake, and traveling is pretty high up there as well. I’m also enjoying new experiences as we get to explore our relatively new hometown of San Diego, and all that the greater area has to offer.
How (and when) did you initially get involved with Words Alive?
Dan: My wife, who is an educator, was a volunteer for several years, plus I’ve been a partner of current Board member Rick Seidenwurm and long-time Words Alive supporter Jeff Silberman.
Steve: Gabrielle found Words Alive through HandsOn San Diego, which connects individuals and groups with local nonprofits. That was in early 2025. Gabrielle is a career public school educator, so right from the start the Words Alive mission resonated with us. We started volunteering in “Where the Wild Books Are” service events, which we still do, by the way, and I was asked sometime thereafter to join the Finance and Audit Committees, prior to coming onto the Board.
Have you served on other boards of directors and/or been involved with other non-profits?
Dan: Yes, I’ve served on a number of boards and worked with other nonprofits over the years, including as a current Board Member for the San Diego Diplomacy Council, past Board Chair of the Anti-Defamation League of Greater San Diego, and past board member of Charitable Auto Resources, Inc., among other leadership and charitable endeavors.
Steve: I worked for a nonprofit social service agency that served children for a period of time, and I served as the treasurer for a community foundation as well. I’ve also held various leadership and board positions, including as president, for a statewide nonprofit association for finance officers, with which I’m still involved.
If you could have dinner with three authors (living or not), who and why?
Dan: Socrates, Charles Darwin, and Christopher Hitchens, all of whom spoke truth to power in their own indelible ways.
Steve: Stephen King, Ray Bradbury and Edgar Allen Poe. I think it would make for an interesting dinner in a dark kind of way, plus Halloween is not far off, so why not?
Can you provide a fun or otherwise interesting fact about yourself?
Dan: Born and raised in Albuquerque, New Mexico.
Steve: I come from a family of recent immigrants. My father immigrated to the states as an infant, and my mother was among the first generation of her family born in this country.
What do you hope to accomplish in your tenure on the Words Alive Board of Directors?
Dan: Improve the lives of the less fortunate one student at a time by improving the effectiveness of the organization in ways that best suit my skill set.
Steve: Although I think (I know) that Gabrielle is infinitely more skilled than I am, I hope that in some small way, I can make a difference in Word Alive’s mission.
Anything else you’d like to share?
Dan: Happy to be part of such a great organization.
Steve: What Dan said!
Dan Gardenswartz is an attorney with Solomon Ward. In his daily practice, Dan advises senior executives, business owners, and in-house counsel on any number of legal issues, including compliance, investigatory, strategic, affirmative relief and defensive strategies. Dan continues to participate in and heavily encourage other Solomon Ward lawyers to engage in pro bono activities and various charitable endeavors. Examples of this include pro bono work for Kitchens for Good, Inc., fundraising and gift-giving drives for San Diego Rescue Mission, Serving Seniors, Feeding America and Coastal Cleanup Day. Dan also currently advises and has served on – and frequently led – several local non-profit organizations.
Steve Heide is a certified public accountant and recent retiree. Over a professional working career spanning some 36 years, Steve held a number of finance, accounting and management positions in private industry, not-for-profits and local government. He has a proud history of professional association and volunteerism with non-profits. Steve continues to actively maintain his California CPA license, and is enjoying this next exciting life chapter, including give back to his community through volunteerism.