YOUNG ALUMNA OF THE YEAR AWARD
Gretchen Noth Borden, Eng ’03, Grad ’07
Wauwatosa, Wis.
She may be the Young Alumna of the Year, but Gretchen Borden has already packed a lifetime of achievements into her career. At Harley-Davidson Motor Company where she has spent her entire professional career, she has quickly moved up the ranks to chief engineer. Her impressive corporate climb is matched only by her strong and active relationship with her alma mater.
Now in her twentieth year at the company, Gretchen credits much of her success to Marquette. “I came to Harley-Davidson through the Marquette co-op program, and my education provided me with the skills and knowledge to advance my career,” she says. She is also driven by her passion to see designs come to life through product development. “Manufacturing allows us to bring concepts from the computer to the consumers. At Harley-Davidson I’m able to help people fulfill their dreams of personal freedom,” she says.
Gretchen lives the Marquette mission by paying it forward to the next generation of students. She serves on the Industry Advisory Board for Mechanical Engineering. She mentors students as part of the Marquette Mentors, Business School Mentoring Program and Society of Women Engineers (SWE) Marquette’s collegiate chapter. In addition, she volunteers her time supporting outreach programs for Boys & Girls Clubs, Girl Scouts and as a professional member of SWE Wisconsin chapter. At Harley-Davidson, she is a member of the H-D C.R.E.W. (Connecting Relationships Empowering Women). “I’d like to be a leader of leaders who continues to learn and grow while developing the next generation of Engineers,” she says. “My ultimate goal is to help ensure that Marquette graduates are career ready.”
Name someone (past or present) with whom you'd like to have dinner.
Simon Sinek - inspirational leader.
Name a Marquette faculty or staff member who had an impact on you, and how.
Dr. Nicholas Nigro influenced my problem-solving skills and taught me to think for myself.
Dr. Joseph Schimmels taught me about leadership and how to best collaborate on teams with diverse thoughts.
Leave a congratulatory message for Gretchen!