MARCH 2026
Carolyn Maldonado
Founder, CEO at G180 Swim LLC
Today, we honor the life and work of Carolyn Maldonado—a woman whose story is not defined by what she lost, but by what she chose to build. Born to Craig Gardner and Adna Bean, Carolyn was curious from the very beginning. She was an adventurer who never waited for permission, exploring the world on her own terms with courage and conviction. That same fearless spirit carried into adulthood, where she built a family of her own and became the proud mother of two, Theo and Olivia Nash, who both inherited their mother’s headstrong sense of wonder and resilience.
Carolyn Maldonado is a visionary, a designer, and an entrepreneur, but above all, she is a God-fearing woman, a devoted daughter, a loving mother and wife, and a loyal friend. Her life stands as proof that from legacy comes purpose and from pain, the power to save lives.
In 2016, Carolyn’s life changed forever with the unimaginable loss of her son, who drowned while swimming with friends at a local lake. In the depths of her grief, she searched for answers. That search became purpose. And that purpose became action. She knew she had to change the way people think about swimwear and safety—not someday, but now.
Just a few years later, G180, LLC—doing business as G180 Swim—was born, built not only on innovation, but on legacy. The name G180 tells a powerful story. The “G” honors her father, Craig Gardner. The “180” represents a miracle—Craig was the 180th patient in the United States to receive a lung transplant. He suffered from an idiopathic disease, pulmonary fibrosis, which
caused his lungs to fail. A transplant in 1993 gave him eight more precious years of life—years that shaped Carolyn, and taught her the value of time, breath, and survival. That legacy lives on in G180 Swim, a company with a soul-purpose: to one day eliminate drowning deaths. Through designing, developing, and innovating everyday swimwear with integrated safety features, G180 exists to keep heads above water—and families whole.
Drawing from her background as a results-driven facilities project manager, Carolyn combined discipline with vision, collaboration with leadership. Today, she holds her first USPTO utility patent, multiple trademarks, and is actively changing how
the world approaches swimwear and safety.
Carolyn Maldonado is a visionary, a designer, and an entrepreneur—but above all, she is a God-fearing woman, a devoted daughter, a loving mother and wife, and a loyal friend. Her life stands as proof that from legacy comes purpose—and from pain, the power to save lives.
