Gracie was born in Camaguey, Cuba, and immigrated to Miami in 1996 with her parents and brother. She learned English quickly and followed in her mother’s footsteps as a graphic designer all through college.
At 21, she was hired as part of an international design team for a British polymerics company. Her work would go on to be distributed across 22 countries in various languages. She then handled marketing, data visualization, corporate branding, and web design at EAC Consulting over four years.
In 2016, she was selected to be the graphic designer for Houston Grand Opera where she was given an inside look at the difficulties nonprofit employees face every day. A mere year later at the age of 26, she had enough contacts and clients to start what was then called Padrón Design Studio, which offered digital marketing and graphic design services to mostly performing arts nonprofits and small businesses.
Her business grew slowly but confidently, until the COVID-19 pandemic. Nonprofits were suddenly forced to pivot to digital marketing like never before to keep their programs alive and 20 new clients onboarded in a single year. In February 2022, after five years of consistent growth, her firm was renamed Padrón & Co. to better capture the wide range of marketing services offered by her staff.
Now, after eight years as creative director and lead marketing strategist, Gracie has helped over 100 companies grow their causes, raise more money, reach more people in need, and get more visitors to their sites. Her work in support of capital campaigns have helped nonprofits bring in over $25 million in donations and grants, and her work with small businesses has helped them accrue over $100 million in new government work.
Her clients have included Space Center Houston, Planned Parenthood, The Air Force Heritage Flight Foundation, Undies for Everyone, The Alley Theatre, Good Reason Houston, Midtown Houston, IndieFlix Streaming, the Medical Benevolence Foundation, the Art Car Parade, and many, many more.
In her free time, she also mentors young girls (especially immigrants like herself) through her work on the board of Women on the Way Up. Every spare second is dedicated to her wonderful husband Alex, and her two sons, Matthew and Henry.