Gretchen Groggel Ralston

Gretchen Groggel Ralston is the chief legal officer for the college and oversees the provision of legal services and development of legal strategy for the institution. She joined Smith in November 2024 from Simmons University where she served as General Counsel, Vice President, and Secretary to the Board. Prior to shifting to higher education, Gretchen practiced securities, antitrust, and business litigation law at Bingham McCutchen in San Francisco. She has a bachelor’s degree in biology from Colby College and a J.D. from the University of California, Berkeley, where she served as an articles editor for the Berkeley Journal of African-American Law and Policy, as a member of the Ecology Law Quarterly, and as co-president of the Boalt Hall Women’s Association.