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Gabrielle Richards is the administrative specialist in the Office of Engineering Diversity Programs. Her main responsibilities for the office are managing day-to-day functions, meeting and event planning, and coordinating recruitment or conference travel.

Richards became a Certified Administrative Professional in spring 2018, and she can also help out with the written word.

“I am excellent at editing and proofreading,” she said.

Richards was born and raised in Detroit/Grosse Pointe Park, Michigan, where she also launched her professional life.

“My career started out, with the help of a high school co-op program, as a unit secretary at a large Detroit medical center for several years while attending college part-time,” said Richards. “I became a corporate legal secretary and worked for two prominent downtown Detroit law firms over 13 years.”

She relocated to Chicago area in 1998 and worked in the law department of the corporate headquarters of Motorola Inc. for just over 18 years, first as a senior administrative assistant in intellectual property and, prior to leaving in 2016, as a billing coordinator in government affairs.

Outside of the office, Richards enjoys gardening, canning, camping, garage sales, antique stores, and flea markets. She is a collector of vintage Appalachian glass.

“I have been married to my husband, Brian, for 21 years and we have two labradoodles, Bella and Zoey,” said Richards. “We moved to Dandridge from the Chicago area in May 2016 and absolutely love it here.”