Website: http://www.dccouncil.us/gray
Political Affiliation: Democratic Party
Office: 1350 Pennsylvania Avenue, Suite 504, NW Washington, DC 20004
Tel: (202) 724-8032
Fax: (202) 724-8085
Email: vgray@dccouncil.us
Began Service: 01/02/2005
Term: 01/02/2007 - 01/02/2011
Ward 7 Councilmember: 01/02/2005 - 01/02/2007
Date of Birth: November 8th
Education: George Washington University, BA Psychology
Birth Place: District of Columbia
Key Staff
Committee Assignment
Committee of the Whole, Vincent C. Gray - Chairman
Biographical Information
With his long-standing involvement with and commitment to children, Vincent C. Gray has a solid reputation as a champion for young people and their families. His career in social services spans over 30 years, beginning with his service as Executive Director of the D.C. Association for Retarded Citizens, where he successfully advocated public policy initiatives on behalf of people with mental retardation.
In 1991, Mayor Sharon Pratt Kelly appointed Mr. Gray to the post of Director of the Department of Human Services. In this position, he oversaw the functions of a 7,000 person department and directed DHS’s activities related to Public Health, Social Services, Mental Health Services and Health Care Finance. Mr. Gray shepherded the implementation of several initiatives to address the developmental needs of children and served longer than any other Director since the department became DHS in 1980.
In December 1994, he was selected as the first Executive Director of Covenant House Washington, an organization dedicated to serving homeless and at-risk youth. During his decade of service, Mr. Gray guided Covenant House Washington into one of the most effective agencies of its kind in the metropolitan area and led successful campaigns to purchase and renovate a crisis center for homeless youth and a multi-purpose center on New York Avenue, and to build a new Community Service Center in southeast Washington.
In the September 2004 primary election, Mr. Gray defeated the incumbent Ward 7 Councilmember, and went on to win the November general election with 91% of the vote. He was sworn-in as a member of the Council of the District of Columbia on January 2, 2005.
In September 2006, Councilmember Gray won the Democratic primary election for the office of Chairman of the Council of the District of Columbia. He received 98% of votes in the November General Election, and was sworn-in as Chairman on January 2, 2007.
Gray is a native Washingtonian and a proud graduate of the District of Columbia public school system. He attended undergraduate and graduate school at George Washington University. His wife, Loretta, an outstanding educator in the D.C. Public Schools, passed away in July 1998. He has two children, Jonice Gray Tucker and Vincent Carlos Gray and two grandchildren. He lives in the Hillcrest neighborhood of Ward 7.
Click here to view an On-Demand Video featuring Council Chairman Vincent C. Gray.