Vice Chairperson & Grants Committee Chair
Gretchen Wharton, a native Washingtonian, has been a life-long advocate for the development and improvement of public amenities and services in her beloved Shaw community.
She retired from Xerox Corporation after 30 years in marketing, sales, and global event management. Gretchen was recognized for successes in program implementation, customer relationship management, public relations, communications, and cross-functional teamwork, winning multiple awards, including two President's Awards for extraordinary achievements in customer service.
Gretchen's diverse career included marketing operations and integration management for major military, government and commercial accounts, channel and strategic alliance development, bid opportunity review, and global trade show and events management.
She was also on Executive Loan to the Congressional Black Caucus Foundation and to the District of Columbia Government as a Mayoral Transition Director.
During her tenure at the DC Commission on the Arts and Humanities, she has chaired both the Grants Committee and former Panels Committee. After the tremendous success of Art All Night in Shaw, Gretchen proposed the idea of a city-wide arts event to DCCAH. This event has now become Mayor Bowser's sixteen site Art All Night event and continues to be successful.
Gretchen has been a member of numerous charitable and community organizations including DC Special Olympics and the Lisner-Louise-Dickson-Hurt Home. Presently, she serves as Chair, Board of Directors for Shaw Main Streets.
Contact Email: [email protected]
Commissioner Since: June 18, 2011
Current Term Ends: June 30, 2024
