Gretchen Hooker

she, her

Board Member

Gretchen’s relationship with Homeword began in 2019 when she and her partner, Derek, participated in a homebuyer course and succeeded in purchasing their home on Missoula’s Westside. Gretchen feels extremely fortunate to have achieved the dream of homeownership and is passionate about keeping Missoula and Montana a welcoming, affordable and sustainable place to live. Gretchen was raised in Bozeman, Montana, though she left the state for college and her early adult life. She completed her undergraduate education at Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, and earned a master’s in industrial design at Rhode Island School of Design in Providence, Rhode Island. Following grad school, she returned to Montana and later relocated to Missoula in 2012 to work for the Biomimicry Institute. These days, she runs a one-woman design studio, Pixel Naturalist, helping educators, science communicators and researchers amplify impact with visuals that explain and celebrate the natural world.