Originally from the Finger Lakes area of upstate New York, Gretchen received her Bachelor's degree in zoology from SUNY Oswego in 2008. She then worked as a kennel manager and vet assistant at a small animal practice while going back to school to earn her degree in Veterinary Technology. Gretchen became a Licensed Veterinary Technician in 2012. Since that time, she relocated to Virginia, and joined the Fork Union Animal Clinic team in 2023. Gretchen has a dog training certification and she especially enjoys helping people with dog behavior questions. 

Gretchen and her husband live in Palmyra with their daughter. They share their home with two rescue dogs, Skye and Orbit, and two rescue cats, Potter and Granger. Outside of working as a vet tech, Gretchen has spent a lot of time working for an animal shelter as well as volunteering with dog rescues and she enjoys fostering rescue dogs to help them find their forever homes. She also enjoys hiking with her dogs, training Skye in agility, and spending time with her family.