Gray has over a decade of professional background in land use and environmental law, cultural heritage, energy development and resource protection, with two post-baccalaureate degrees in related fields, as well as high-level skills in policymaking and visioning.
Gray is currently working on a community conflict resolution process involving a rezoning application on sensitive lands and working to develop a model agricultural land mitigation program. This effort has been particularly inspiring as local advocates exacted unprecedented safety measures in proffered conditions and were recognized as important stakeholders in planning decisions. Gray has also spent the past year working pro bono with a community group to create a Central Virginia locality’s newest mini-park.
Previously, Gray served as the Assistant Director with the Virginia Coastal Policy Center preparing Virginia communities for rising sea levels and new, increasing coastal hazards. Gray supervised student researchers writing in-depth legal analysis on emerging environmental policy issues, as well as serving clients ranging from Virginia state agencies to small, rural communities with limited resources. Recent projects involved supporting the Virginia Task Force on Carbon Sequestration and developing policy initiatives addressing local regulation of industrial-scale solar installations, as well as navigating complex constituencies in oyster management on behalf of state leadership.
Before joining the Center, Gray served as a Virginia Assistant Attorney General working with agency clients in a variety of legal matters. Gray specialized in Clean Air Act law, land use and environmental protection as she supported Virginia in litigating air quality issues with multistate coalitions, as well as guiding state agencies through significant regulatory and policy changes following major decisions such as Friends of Buckingham v. State Air Pollution Control Board, No. 19-1152 (4th Cir. 2020), which was the first time a court mandated consideration of environmental justice in permitting decisions.
At the Attorney General’s Office, Gray created the role of outreach contact for tribal leaders and worked to address matters of importance to Virginia’s native peoples. Her background in easements and land use proved valuable as the department worked closely to manage conservation incentive programs for multiple state agencies, contributing to the stewardship and protection of millions of acres, natural, cultural, and historic resources.
Gray has years of experience working in policymaking, most recently standing as a candidate for Circuit Court Clerk in Henrico County. As a first-time candidate with a budget of less than $15,000 in a county with 330,000 residents, she came within 243 votes of the incumbent out of 116,000 cast with a platform of solid policy proposals to improve access to justice. Gray also litigated a historic recount, one with important implications post-expansion of early voting.
In 2023, Gray was named the Greater Richmond Bar Foundation Volunteer of the Year for pro bono volunteer work and is a former Mental Health America Mental Health Champion for advocacy leading to reforms of the Virginia Bar Examiners’ Character and Fitness examination.
Last year, her farm won a Golden Hammer Award from the Historic Richmond Foundation for efforts to preserve the historic farmhouse. Gray is also a small farmer, currently participating in a land-use value program and heavily involved in local conservation efforts, as well as an elected area representative on the local Farm Services Administration committee as a voice for small, beginning, and minority farmers.
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