Gretchen Castle, M.Ed.

Dean of the Earlham School of Religion

Phone:765.983.1423

Office: Earlham College Cabinet

Location: Earlham School of Religion
228 College Ave.
Richmond, IN 47374

About me

For nine years, I served as the General Secretary of Friends World Committee for Consultation, the Quaker world office, in London.  In addition to traveling among Quakers and serving on QUNO in New York and Geneva, I participated in the Christian World Communions Annual Meeting of the General Secretaries, where I served as the first woman chair and the first Quaker chair. As part of the Christian World Communions, I attended the inauguration of Pope Francis in Rome in 2013. 

I grew up in the United States, in Iowa, as the daughter of David and Ellie Castle, former pastor of First Friends in Richmond.  I’ve served many different Quaker organizations including presiding clerk of Philadelphia Yearly Meeting, Director of Leadership Development for Quaker retirement communities across the US, and as Board Development Consultant for over 20 years. With a Masters’ degree in Organization Development and Adult Learning, my primary work has been in organizational change, board development and strategic thinking, largely with Quaker organizations.

Grounded in faith, my work for and with Quakers is a life-long commitment to bringing love into fuller illumination, where the vision for a peaceful world and the hope for all people to live productive lives might take root.  I have broad experience among Friends globally and across different Quaker traditions.

I have two adult daughters and enjoy gardening and fabric arts. For twenty years, I played in a band with my husband, David, called Faith and Practice.

Education

  • M.Ed., Temple University
  • B.A., Earlham College

Publications

  • “What Unites Us,” Friends Journal, October 2016, http://www.friendsjournal.org/what-unites-us/
  • “Moving beyond difference,” The Friend, London UK, 10 March 2016
  • “Preparing the Way,” The Friend, London UK, 1 October 2015
  • FWCC World Office productions on Sustainability, http://fwcc.world/sustainability-resources
  • “World Family of Friends,” The Friend, London UK, 25 September 2013
  • Interview with Friends Journal following attendance at papal inaugural mass, online video, March 23, 2013, http://www.friendsjournal.org/fj-interview-with-gretchen-castle/
  • Friends World News, a periodical of FWCC with introduction by General Secretary, http://fwcc.world/friends-world-news
  • Case study response in Board Member, a magazine of BoardSource, January 2006
  • “The Time of Your Life: Getting All You Want Out of Life Through Time Management,” Twenty Active Training Programs by Mel Silberman. Pfeiffer & Co: San Diego, 1992
  • Contributor for Active Training; A Handbook of Techniques, Designs, Case Examples, and Tips by Mel Silberman. University Associates: San Diego, 1990

Speaking engagements