Gretchel L. Hathaway

Dr. Gretchel Hathaway began her work as Franklin & Marshall’s first vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion Aug. 20, 2020. Reporting to President Barbara Altmann, she provides vision, leadership and guidance on a full spectrum of diversity, equity and inclusion matters, working collaboratively with the F&M community to build a more inclusive environment.

She previously was dean of diversity and inclusion and chief diversity officer at Union College, where she led strategic plan diversity initiatives with its board of trustees, faculty and administrators. She worked at Union for 22 years, where she also served on the review board of all faculty tenure and promotion cases. She also supervised Union’s Office of Intercultural Affairs and had served as Union’s director of community outreach and Americans With Disabilities Act compliance officer.

In addition to her senior administrator duties at Union, Gretchel had taught in the Department of Sociology. Her research interests include diversity and inclusivity in higher education, child physical and sexual abuse, and marital rape and spousal abuse. Before her arrival in Schenectady, she spent nine years as the director of the personal counseling center at the University of Pittsburgh at Johnstown. She has presented programs on diversity, multicultural topics and Title IX programs at other institutions of higher education, including Swarthmore College, Colgate University and Skidmore College.

Gretchel is the parent of Stephen Tyson, Jr., a 2007 F&M graduate and one of the founding members of I.M.P.A.C.T., and Rachel Tyson. Gretchel earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology from Manhattanville College and her master’s degree in the same field from Yeshiva University. She holds a doctoral degree in social work from the University of Pittsburgh.