Gretchen Sisson ’06 joined the Board of Trustees in 2023. She is a research sociologist with Advancing New Standards in Reproductive Health in the Department of Obstetrics, Gynecology and Reproductive Sciences at the University of California, San Francisco. Her research examines abortion and adoption in American politics and culture, including her forthcoming book Relinquished: The Politics of Adoption and the Privilege of American Motherhood (2024). Sisson is also the principal investigator for the Abortion Onscreen program, studying the content and impact of abortion storytelling in American popular culture. Her research has been featured in outlets including the New York Times, the Washington Post and NPR, and cited in the Supreme Court dissent in Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization.
Sisson is a member of the Women Donors Network, where she serves on the board for WDN Action. She is a co-founder of WDN’s Abortion Bridge Collaborative Fund, a movement-led philanthropic effort to address needs in abortion provision and protection across the country after the Dobbs decision. Additionally, Sisson serves on the board of directors for Emerge America and the steering committee for Electing Women Bay Area (part of the Electing Women Alliance) and writes frequently on political giving for a reflective democracy.
Sisson graduated from Amherst with degrees in psychology and women’s & gender studies, and also holds a doctorate in sociology from Boston College. Prior to serving as a trustee, she served as president of her class, an associate agent, and an advisory board member for the College’s Loeb Center for Career Exploration and Planning. She and her husband, Andrew McCollum, live in San Francisco with their three young children.