A former student of the Ballet Memphis school and dancer in the junior company, Gretchen has been a part of Ballet Memphis since childhood. She led the Ballet Memphis Board of Directors as Chairman from 2014-2017. Most recently the Founder and Principal of DI Studio, Gretchen leverages over 15 years in the philanthropic and nonprofit sector.

McLennon spent 10 years at the Hyde Family Foundation as Program Director where she focused on managing the arts and culture, entrepreneurship, and leadership portfolios of the Foundation. In 2009, she was named to the “Top 40 Under 40” list by the Memphis Business Journal.

She has also served as a Major Gifts Officer for the Metropolitan Inter-Faith Association (MIFA) and a Donor Relations Officer for the Community Foundation for Greater Atlanta. Gretchen is on the board of several local organizations, including: ArtsMemphis, Slingshot Memphis, Memphis Rock n Soul Museum, and The Women’s Foundation for a Greater Memphis. She completed her executive coaching certification at the Teleos Leadership Institute (Philadelphia, PA) in 2018.

A native Memphian, Gretchen is a graduate of Northwestern (BA) and Wake Forest (MBA) universities.