On July 1, Gretchen Gilliland ’03 became president of the AAGC. It was a likely next step for her after 20 years of dedication to Goucher—first as a student volunteering on committees, then on the alumnae/i board, and most recently as the AAGC vice president, strengthening relationships across generations.
Growing up in Virginia, her proximity to Goucher made the college seem like a natural fit. She soon realized that her passions and goals also fit perfectly with an intimate and interdisciplinary campus like Goucher. “The community acknowledged not all learning happens in the classroom and that extracurriculars can be just as important for learning opportunities. It is what you see in study abroad now, or in the way students can start their own clubs,” she said.
On campus, Gilliland, while working toward her B.A. in psychology and art, was busy with student clubs and as a Phonathon worker, admissions ambassador, and Student Government Association executive team member. As a student worker in the Alumnae/i House, Gilliland also researched for a proposal on how to start an athletic fundraising program in support of Michele Hoffman, the associate director of annual giving and the women’s soccer coach. “I researched examples of schools all over the country and helped Michele put together the case for starting the program, draft logos, ideas for giving benefits, and mockups of appeals.”
For all her efforts on campus, Gilliland received the Senior Leadership Award in 2003 and, after she graduated, the Jenifer Mitchell Reed Young Alumnae/i Award in 2008.
Gilliland is currently the senior director of major gifts at the Colorado School of Mines Foundation, where her days consist of meetings with alums, parents, and friends, setting up scholarships, and, as she says, meeting people where they are (especially coffee shops). She also volunteers with Florence Crittenton Services of Colorado, supporting teen mothers on their educational journeys, and with the Center on Colfax, raising money for Denver’s LGBTQ+ programming.
Throughout her career, she has used the skills she developed in the higher education and nonprofit sector to benefit the future of her alma mater. She came to appreciate service early in life: “My parents instilled volunteerism and philanthropy as core values for me. Giving to others, using the skills I have for the greater good—it is not only rewarding, it is fun.”
Gilliland remembers feeling inspired during her visit to campus for the 2025 Alumnae/i Weekend: “When getting to meet so many students and hearing what they’re working on, it’s clear they’re looking for advice, for connections in the field they’re working on, and an understanding of the past. It’s amazing getting to know alums from different generations and today’s students—we all have so many shared passions even if we weren’t at Goucher at the same time. Every time I’m on campus, I love meeting students and hearing about all the ways the school is living its mission.” She hopes that she can push forward programs that attract a diverse array of alumni as volunteers and leaders to be involved with the school, and that everyone views Goucher as a space for more than classes.
“There are classmates of mine that I became closer friends with as a result of our fifth reunion or other activities post-graduation,” says Gilliland, and in the spirit of carrying on those personal connections, her AAGC work centers on the qualities that make Goucher a community beyond the classroom, building bridges between students and alumni that ensure quality liberal arts education will remain accessible and transformational for all, whether one is a first-year or has graduated.
“Take advantage of all Goucher has to offer. There are so many ways to participate online, too—like hearing speakers and authors,” Gilliland says. “If there’s an alum who hasn’t connected with a school recently, please reach out, ask questions about Goucher in the news, come back—it doesn’t have to be your reunion year!”
Join Gretchen Gilliland ’03 and get involved with Goucher’s alumnae/i association: