Junior Achievement Recognizes Steve Gray With Gold Leadership Award for Outstanding Service

Portland, OR - Junior Achievement of Oregon & SW Washington (JA) has announced that Steve Gray has been chosen for the organization’s most prestigious national award for volunteerism, the Gold Leadership Award. A truly special and well-deserved honor, Gray is one of 11 recipients nationally this year out of more than 237,000 JA USA volunteers. Junior Achievement’s Gold Leadership Award honors volunteer excellence, recognizing leadership in support of JA’s student impact, resources, operational excellence and sustainability.

Steve Gray, a Senior Vice President with Key Bank, has been a volunteer and member of the JA Board of Directors for over 20 years, performing nearly every volunteer role in the organization and holding nearly every board office over those years. Gray is currently the longest-tenured director of the local organization, now in his 21st year. During Gray’s tenure the organization has grown from serving 29,000 students to 44,000 students annually.

"Steve Gray is a very high-integrity person and leader who is highly regarded by his peer board members and JA Staff. He has significantly advanced our mission and work and we are grateful for his service," said John Hancock, President of JA of Oregon & SW Washington.

Gray was an active Company Program volunteer in the organization’s after-school program during the 1980s and 1990s. Since then, Gray has continued to be a program volunteer in a variety of JA classroom settings. Over the past 15 years, he has been a key leader, active Executive Committee member and Board Chair. Hancock also stated, "Stewardship is big theme in Steve’s life and he has brought that to JA, always driving a high level of operational efficiency. He has had a key role in strengthening JA’s partnership with Key Bank, one of the organization’s largest corporate partners."

"KeyBank has been a long-time supporter of Junior Achievement, most recently as the first contributor to fund the design and construction of the statewide mobile financial literacy education unit. Steve has been a stellar liaison between JA and Key and a passionate advocate for its work with youth," said Michelle Weisenbach, President of KeyBank of Oregon & SW Washington.

Gray will be presented with the Gold Leadership Award at Junior Achievement’s National Volunteer Summit on March 7 in New York City.