Gunner is the President/Chief Executive Officer of the New Orleans Chamber of Commerce. She evacuated from New Orleans to escape the wrath of Hurricane Katrina and is residing in Hazel Crest, Illinois, as a base from which she frequently returns to New Orleans as she participates in the planning for its renewal. At GSU, Gunner will teach a seminar, speak at community-wide meetings on New Orleans' disaster planning and recovery, small business development, and international trade. She will also advise the College of Business and Public Administration in its effort to offer programs in emergency and disaster management.

Gunner is a former Director of Manpower & Economic Development for the City of New Orleans and a former General Manager of Administration for the Regional Transit Authority. She has been recognized by the U.S. Department of Labor and the International City/County Management Association (ICMA) for her contributions to business and public management. Among the many boards on which she has served are the U.S. Conference of Mayors and the National Alliance of Business. As a small business owner for almost 20 years, her clients have included international corporations, numerous small businesses, and economic development entities as well as municipal and federal agencies in Louisiana, Mississippi, and Illinois. She ultimately became the project manager for the strategic planning team for the Committee for a Better New Orleans/Metropolitan Area Committee that developed the "Blueprint for a Better New Orleans" and was subsequently appointed as the organization's president. The "Blueprint" will serve as a base document for the ReNew New Orleans post-Katrina effort. She currently is a member of the International Economic Development Council and a board member of the Workforce Investment Board for the City of New Orleans

Ms. Gunner earned a B.A. from University of Illinois and a master's degree in political science from Southern University. She was a Summer Fellow at the John F. Kennedy School of Government, Harvard University.