Gretchen Trast Email & Phone Number

As the leader of GEI's Grant Program, I drive our strategic initiatives by optimizing the entire grant funding process—from sourcing opportunities to securing funding and managing administration. I specialize in identifying national and regional grant opportunities and developing comprehensive funding plans for multi-phase infrastructure projects. This includes supporting public, nonprofit, and private clients in advancing community development efforts, particularly in securing funding for infrastructure projects that are often challenging to fund.

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

As part of the Economic and Community Development Team, I 1) secured $13M+ in state and federal grant funding for 13 counties around Nashville and worked with county governments, local municipalities, utility districts, nonprofits, and other community-based orgs; 2) consulted local governments on project scope, budgets, operating expenses, and procurement guidelines while adhere to state and federal grant compliance requirements across 10 individual grant programs; and 3) administered grant funding for water infrastructure, renovation and new construction, educational programming, and other project types.

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

As part of the Development Team, I 1) co-led the rehabilitation of three properties, orchestrating comprehensive scoping, project management, and cross-departmental communications to drive operational efficiency, resident satisfaction, and asset value enhancement; 2) directed the relocation planning of 70 households receiving public rental assistance (under HUD's RAD conversion process), ensuring compliance with federal regulations, stakeholder coordination, and resident support throughout the transition to a newly constructed building; and 3) coordinated pre-development activities for 5 development projects, including surveys, feasibilities studies and other due diligence items.

As part of the External Relations Business Unit, I 1) developed and executed a comprehensive community and stakeholder engagement plan across TVA's service area, fostering trust, collaboration, and alignment with organizational priorities and stakeholder expectations; 2) constructed community impact metrics and evaluation for TVA’s corporate social responsibility program to measure outcomes and enhance the organization’s giving strategy; and 3) coordinated internal billing for community contributions ensuring timely payments and efficient communications with community partners and accounting.

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

In this position, I conceptualized, developed, and led a comprehensive four-month Cooperative Entrepreneurship youth program at a South Nashville middle school, empowering students to identify market opportunities, cultivate team-building and entrepreneurial skills, and execute innovative business initiatives collaboratively with their peers.

Nashville, Tennessee, United States

In this position, I 1) coached cooperative businesses in business planning, financial forecasting, and financing strategies to optimize operational efficiency, sustainability, and growth; 2) implemented stream-lined process for tracking client development resulting in more competitive grant applications and stronger client relationships; and 3) coached cooperative businesses how to capture and leverage data to improve organizational performance through market, operations, financial, and customer data.

In this position, I 1) assisted with community engagement, analyze community feedback, and help create community feedback reports for 2nd Ave visioning process (Christmas 2020 Bombing recovery) and several parks in the Nashville area; and 2) facilitated a dynamic community action research education program, engaging 23 high school students in targeted research initiatives and stakeholder engagement strategies to foster public-private partnerships and advocate for the establishment of a new community center.

Bachelor Of Science - Bs, Community And Nonprofit Leadership, Communication Arts

Activities and Societies: Wisconsin Union School of Human Ecology

Master'S Degree, Community Development And Action

Peabody College