Gretchen Garner is the Board and CEO practice Research Director at Russell Reynolds Associates. In this role, Gretchen leads the team of US researchers in the Board and CEO practice and coordinates all project allocation, training, and provides mentorship and coaching. In addition, Gretchen specializes in board and CEO succession planning and search, across all industries. Her Board search and succession planning experience spans all types of companies, including pre-IPO, PE backed, and Fortune 500 companies. Gretchen has had exposure to all industries throughout her career, including large retailers, CPG, technology companies, industrial manufacturers, agriculture, and oil and gas companies. Gretchen has also participated in a variety of CEO Succession projects where she has mapped external talent to compare with internal candidates, created emergency succession plans in the event of an unforeseen event, and has worked on searches for immediate CEO needs. As a member of the Board and CEO practice, Gretchen has also collaborated on Board Effectiveness projects, which include board composition analyses (identifying areas where a board may want to increase its expertise), board surveys, board member interviews, and drafting of reports outlining ways a board may run more effectively. Before joining Russell Reynolds, Gretchen practiced law in both Illinois and Louisiana. She began her legal career at Couhig Partners in New Orleans, Louisiana, where her practice centered around commercial litigation with an emphasis on contract disputes, insurance defense, and surety litigation. After moving to Chicago, Gretchen continued her litigation practice while at the law firm of Nielsen, Zehe & Antas where she managed a multi-jurisdictional caseload. Prior to becoming an attorney, Gretchen was a marketing assistant at Holland & Knight. Gretchen received her B.S.M. from Tulane University’s A.B. Freeman School of Business, magna cum laude, and her J.D. from the University of Georgia Law School.