Open To Work
Gretchen Lynch
Palos Park,IL
Summary
Hardworking and focused Administrative and Operations professional with a background in office management and school administration. Proven track record in managing office operations, coordinating schedules, and supporting staff. Skilled in communication, organization, and problem-solving. Known for fostering teamwork, adapting to changing needs, and consistently achieving results. Creating, updating, and documenting procedures and policies is very important and can build additional support and success throughout any organization. Diverse experience and opportunity has developed a a strong willingness to be bold and curious and dedicated.
Overview
25
25
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
School Administrative Assistant
Trinity Lutheran Church and School
08.2009 - 01.2026
- Streamlined and responsible for enrollment procedures from initiation to submission.
- Coordinated events for over 250 students on a regular basis including communications, scheduling, staging, and hosting.
- Collaborated with teachers to plan field trips by coordinating transportation arrangements and obtaining required permissions from parents.
- Created and maintained detailed administrative processes and procedures to drive efficiency and accuracy.
- Interacted with vendors, contractors and professional services personnel to receive orders, direct activities, and communicate instructions.
- Continually sought methods for improving daily operations, communications with clients, recordkeeping, and data entry for increased efficiency.
- Established administrative work procedures to track staff's daily tasks.
- Facilitated timely delivery of special projects including Illinois State Board of Education reporting to meet organizational and departmental objectives.
- Volunteered to help with special projects of varying degrees of complexity.
- Supported company leaders by scheduling appointments and organizing itinerary.
- Organized logistics and materials for each meeting and took detailed notes for later dissemination to key stakeholders.
- Increased office participation in special events by creating newsletter with detailed calendars and other office updates.
- Increased parent-teacher communication through timely and well-written newsletters, notices, and announcements.
- Reduced meeting preparation time with thorough planning of agendas, securing conference rooms, and arranging audiovisual equipment as needed.
- Contributed to efficient class scheduling by organizing room assignments and teacher availability.
- Enhanced student safety by monitoring visitor access and distributing visitor badges as needed.
- Maintained a welcoming front office environment for students, parents, staff, and visitors to promote positive school culture.
- Assisted in creating a safe school environment by updating emergency protocols regularly.
- Ensured smooth day-to-day operations through prompt resolution of facility maintenance issues such as repairs or installations.
- Improved operational efficiency with accurate record-keeping of student attendance, grades, and other relevant information.
- Enforced punctuality among students with consistent monitoring of tardiness records.
- Created school year calendar and managed calendar updates for holidays, meetings, athletic activities, conferences, workshops, or special events.
- Supported the hiring process for new staff members by collecting application materials, scheduling interviews, and preparing offer letters.
- Managed paper and digital filing systems, entered data and completed other clerical tasks.
- Managed phone and email correspondence and handled incoming and outgoing mail and sometimes even faxes.
- Assisted coworkers and staff members with special tasks on daily basis.
- Built and maintained excellent parent and vendor relationships through timely response to inquiries and going above and beyond to accommodate unusual requests.
- Completed forms, reports, logs, and records to quickly handle all documentation for human resources.
Owner
Babe's Ice Cream and Chocolates
Palos Heights, IL
05.2002 - 11.2007
- Managed day-to-day business operations.
- Developed and maintained strong relationships with clients, resulting in repeat business and referrals.
- Oversaw daily operations, ensuring all tasks were completed accurately and efficiently by team members.
- Trained and motivated employees to perform daily business functions.
- Successfully navigated challenging economic conditions by making informed decisions that protected the business''s financial stability.
- Managed financial aspects of the business, including budgeting, financial reporting, and tax preparation.
- Established a positive workplace culture that fostered employee engagement, collaboration, and loyalty.
- Consulted with customers to assess needs and propose optimal solutions.
- Implemented marketing strategies to increase brand awareness and attract new customers.
- Hired trained, and managed a high-performing team of employees dedicated to achieving company goals.
- Mentored staff members on best practices in customer service and sales techniques, leading to increased performance levels.
- Increased customer satisfaction by implementing efficient business processes and providing exceptional service.
- Developed and implemented strategic plans for revenue growth, focusing on diversification and market expansion.
- Optimized supply chain operations, negotiating with suppliers to ensure timely delivery of high-quality products.
- Elevated brand awareness with targeted marketing campaigns, leveraging social media and digital platforms.
Implementation Manager
American Teletronics
03.2001 - 02.2007
- Utilized analytical tools to evaluate post-implementation success metrics, identifying areas for further optimization or refinement as needed.
- Managed multiple simultaneous implementations with minimal supervision, demonstrating strong organizational skills and adaptability.
- Troubleshot technical issues during implementations, working closely with IT teams to resolve problems quickly and minimize downtime for clients involved in specific scenarios encountered.
- Established effective communication channels between internal teams and external clients to facilitate smooth project execution.
- Optimized resource allocation by accurately forecasting workload demands based on historical data analysis and current trends.
- Presented project updates to senior leadership, highlighting successes and addressing challenges with proposed solutions, ensuring ongoing support for the implementation team''s efforts.
Education
Recruited For Full Time Employment-American Teletronics
St. Xavier University
Chicago, IL 03.2001 - 03.2001
Skills
- School administration
- Event coordination
- Budget management
- Student enrollment systems
- Communication enhancement
- Scheduling efficiency
- Policy compliance
- Records management
- Document preparation
- Scheduling appointments
- Filing systems
- Strong organization
- Parent communication
- Policy enforcement
- Report generation
- Meeting coordination
- Student registration
- School software familiarity
- Training assistance
- Student support
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Multitasking and time management
- Document and file management
- Problem-solving
- Time management
- Attention to detail
- Adaptability and flexibility
- Office management
- Microsoft office
- Administrative procedures
- Data entry
- Decision-making
- High volume phone inquiries
- Verbal and written communication
- Active listening
- Critical thinking
- Confidentiality and data protection
- Reliability
- Documentation and recordkeeping
- Information management
- Professionalism
- Excel spreadsheets
- Writing and editing
- Scheduling and calendar management
- Filing and data archiving
- Employee communications
- Social media management
- Conflict resolution
Certification
AED/CPR/FA Certified in August 2025
State of Illinois Sexual Harassment and Discrimination
Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA)
Illinois School Student Records Act
DCFS Mandated Reporting
Active Shooter
ADHD
Asthma
Allergy Management/Food Allergies
Anaphlaxis and Anaphylactic Shock
Bloodborne Pathogens
Code of Ethics for School Educators and Staff
Cultural Awareness/Racial Bias
References
Employment References-Supervisors
Tiffany Gurgel, Assistant Principal Trinity Lutheran School (August 2015-January 2026)
630-310-0501
Andrew Montgomery, Principal Trinity Lutheran School (August 2021- June 2024)
Jerry Gliege, Principal Trinity Lutheran School, August 2016-June 2021)
Steve Stec, Principal Trinity Lutheran School, August 2009- September 2015)
Work Preference
Job Search Status
Open to workDesired start date: Open to discussion
Desired Job Title
School Administrative AssistantOwnerImplementation ManagerAdministrative AssistantConsultantWork Type
Full TimeSalary Range
50000/yr - 200000/yrTimeline
School Administrative Assistant
Trinity Lutheran Church and School
08.2009 - 01.2026
Owner
Babe's Ice Cream and Chocolates
05.2002 - 11.2007
Recruited For Full Time Employment-American Teletronics
St. Xavier University
03.2001 - 03.2001
Implementation Manager
American Teletronics
03.2001 - 02.2007