Hilda Yates Warden was born and raised in Richmond, Virginia. She attended public schools in Richmond. In 1935, she graduated from Virginia Union University. Warden was working for the Richmond Department of Welfare by 1950 when African Americans were just beginning to be hired as supervisors in the Department. Warden realized that she needed to further her education to be promoted to a supervisor. Seeking opportunities for professional growth in the field of social work, the former school teacher decided to start by taking one class in social work. She applied to Richmond Professional Institute (later VCU) but was told that she was not allowed to apply because the administration at RPI had not made a decision on whether to admit African Americans. Other part-time students (white students) only had to fill out a short application to apply, while Warden was required to fill out a full time application. After having to go through so much turmoil, she decided to go ahead and apply for full-time status. Warden was quietly admitted to the school of Social Work at RPI along with four other African American students in 1951. She went on to get her Master of Science degree in Rehabilitation Counseling at RPI in 1964. After getting the MS in Rehabilitation Counseling, she was hired at Virginia Union University (VUU) as a counselor where she worked for approximately eleven years. In her position at VUU, she directed several federal programs. She held positions with the Richmond Committee of Black Social Workers, Offender Aid and Restoration, and the Virginia Commission on Human Relations. Upon leaving VUU, Warden worked at the Richmond Department for Aging from 1976 to 1983. Since 1984, she has been working as a legislative assistant to Senator Yvonne Miller.