Faculty & Scientific Staff

Gretchen Schoenstein is a half-marathon runner, an autoimmune disease warrior, an award-winning speaker, and a certified executive coach with over two decades of experience in leadership development and talent management. Her career spans work with diverse organizations, including large and small technology firms, nonprofit entities, advocacy groups, start-ups, and educational foundations as well as companies in the retail, finance, hospitality, environmental and beauty sectors. Her inspirational journey, from overcoming adversity to crossing the finish lines of over 120 half-marathons, informs every aspect of her life. She is the founder and CEO of Finish Line Moments Coaching and Consulting.

In 2002, Gretchen served as the founding executive director of Emerge California, the first state program to be formed within the Emerge America organization, which recruits and trains Democratic women to run for office. Simultaneously, Gretchen served as a founding board member of Emerge America. After nearly a decade at Emerge California, Gretchen moved on to wear many hats at Emerge America over the next 20 years, including as board chair, vice chair and secretary, as well as a speaker, first-day trainer, board retreat facilitator, fundraiser, and mentor to multiple executive directors. Gretchen currently sits on the advisory board of Emerge America.

From 2013-2021, Gretchen worked with Allegory, a professional development firm based in San Francisco. She served as an executive coach and leadership communication facilitator, and later, as the company’s vice president of content and facilitation. In the years following, Gretchen was a coach at Trajectory, also a professional development firm. Throughout this time, Gretchen was also tasked as a strategic advisor through a significant leadership and team transition at Ignite National, an organization dedicated to young women’s civic engagement and political leadership.

Since childhood, Gretchen’s ties to autoimmune disease have infused her world. Diagnosed with the first of her multiple autoimmune diseases at a young age, she has found resilience and perseverance as she has managed her health through various diagnoses and flare-ups. Against doctors’ orders, in 2010, she opted to run a half-marathon to show them and herself what she could still do. In December 2021, she ran her hundredth half-marathon, raising money for various autoimmune disease awareness and research organizations, including Benaroya Research Institute.

It was through attending an Illuminations Luncheon in 2014 that Gretchen first learned how impactful the work and research of BRI were and had the potential to be. Through purely grassroots efforts, she has raised more than $20,000 for BRI, and her fundraising is still ongoing through her Two Halfs, Two Coasts, Two Days initiative.

Gretchen is a graduate of the University of Washington and a Gallup-Certified Strengths Coach.