Gretchen Gipson has over 15 years of experience as an executive assistant and event planner. She has strong skills in project management, budget control, customer relations, and meeting/event planning. She has worked for companies like Dow Chemical, Novartis Pharmaceuticals, and McKesson Corporation, where she provided administrative support to executives, planned meetings and events, managed calendars/travel, and oversaw office operations. Currently, she works independently as a personal assistant and event planner through her own company, Virtual Solutions.

1. GRETCHEN L. GIPSON
770-518-9770 ♦ glgipson44@aol.com ♦ LinkedIn Profile
QUALIFICATIONS SUMMARY
Executive level assistant. Strong in project management, budget control, organizational strategies,
customer relations and meeting and event planning. Skill set includes:
 MS Office Suite - 2010  Outlook  Conferencing  CRM Software
 Cisco Phone Applications  Visio  Project Management  Event Coordinator
 Customer Care  Accounts Receivable  Inventory Control  Contracts Administration
PROFESSIONAL EXPERIENCE
VIRTUAL SOLUTIONS, Atlanta, GA 3/2009 - Present
(Employees: Self Employed)
Personal Assistant and Event Planner
Company Founder contracting services as a Personal Assistant and Event Planner engaging projects with
companies and non-profit organizations
THE DOW CHEMICAL COMPANY, Marietta, GA 2/ 2013 – 7/2014
(Employees: 49,505)
Service Center Sales Assistant
Supporting the Southeast Regional Sales Director and nine (9) Account Managers
 Managed calendars, coordinated travel arrangements, developed expense reports, monthly sales
reports, and presentations.
 On-boarded new sellers and provided orientation
 Coordinated meetings and team building activities
 Assisted with coordination of major customer events…The Masters, Tour of Champion, Indy 500,
Kentucky Derby, etc.
 Contracts Administrator for team
Managed the daily operations of the SE Regional Sales Center
 Maintained the integrity of the sales center by placing work orders for maintenance as needed
 Monitored and ordered supplies
 Sourced and contracted vendors
 Confirmed reservations and hosted all conferencing space
 Assisted all visiting sellers with business request
 Developed monthly promotional communication for professional workshops, meetings and
community/social activities
 Coordinated with safety and security to monitor visitors
Accomplishments: Opened new center and created first procedures and desk manual.
NOVARTIS PHARMACEUTICALS CORPORATION, Roswell, GA 7/2004 – 2/2009
(Employees: 119,418)
Executive Assistant and Lead Office Administrator
Provided support to three Regional Directors, over five different regional territories. Lead Assistant
overseeing all office management/maintenance, day-to-day office issues, and administrative staff
concerns.
 Managed executive expense reports and audited and approved manager expense reports in two
field forces.
 Coordinated all national and regional meetings and events for southeast regional executives.

2. GRETCHEN L. GIPSON 770-518-9770 glgipson44@aol.com
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 Coordinated complex travel plans for road trips, town hall meetings and semi-annual sales
meetings with district sales managers and representatives.
 On-boarded new hires and processed employee transfers and terminations; organized ongoing sales
training.
 Managed company and employee confidential records.
 Coordinated field force transitions as they dissolved; 31 of 34 managers were placed.
Accomplishment: Coordinated entire office build-out project, oversaw project completion
dates, approved walk-through and created monthly updates.
NEWROADS, INC., Alpharetta, GA 1/2003 – 7/2004
Executive Office Administrator
Provided direct administrative support for executive staff, including the President/CEO, CFO, CIO and
Senior Vice President of Human Resources. Arranged travel itineraries, preparing presentation materials
for monthly staff meetings and Board of Director meetings, and entertainment planning.
 Created first Regional HR on-boarding documents and procedure for new employees
 Developed Vacation/Personal Time Off Matrix – to track employee time off
 Performed Contracts Administration to secure proper signatures on new contracts and processed end
mailing and filing.
 Project Manager responsible for new office build out, vendor sourcing and selection, employee
workspace assignments, hoteling for independent contractors, establishing project timelines.
Accomplishment: Started the first office procedures (new employee orientation, vendor selections,
Admin Handbook and later organized the office build out)
McKESSON CORPORATION, Alpharetta, GA 1/2000 – 11/2002
(Employees: 37,700)
Executive Assistant
Provided direct administrative support to the Sr. VP and two VPs of Corporate Marketing.
 Controlled the business unit budget and produced monthly reports to track expenses.
 Assisted corporate marketing teams in producing sales/marketing presentations.
 Maintained business development relationships and coordinated all associated special programs.
 Assisted in the development and implementation of the first company Administrators’ Handbook.
Accomplishment: Developed a $50,000 fall event for HRDI members, resulting in a $200 million plus
contract order.
EDUCATION / PROFESSIONAL ORGANIZATIONS
Eastern Michigan University, Ypsilanti, MI; Major: Fashion Merchandising, Minor: Marketing
Chairman of the Board – Pregnancy Resources of Doraville
First Baptist Atlanta – Counseling Ministry
Executive Personal Assistants Society