Hartford Business Journal

www.HartfordBusiness.com July 25, 2016 • Hartford Business Journal 55 Lesley Abate Rosemary Aiello Scott Aronson Shalu Arora John Bailey Melissa Bengtson Matthew Broderick Dana Bucin Gary Carra Amit Chowdhury Nicholas Cianci William Cortese Samir Doshi Nora Duncan Zillah Fluker Jeff A. Freyer Samuel Gray, Jr. Kevin Greene David Greer Nathan Grube Mathew Jasinski Steve Jewett Gabriel Jiran Matthew Kirk Kathleen LaManna Annete Larabee John Larkin Deborah Laviero Kevin Leahy Jessica Lyon Frank Milano Fernando Muniz Michael Nappi, Jr. Jeremy Race Cathryn Reynolds Felix Rodriguez James Sanders Doug Sudell Robyn Swanson David Wilkie Past Classes: 2009 2009 Winner List: Gray drives region's young people to a better future By John A. Lahtinen Special to the Hartford Business Journal T hirty-seven years ago, then 8-year-old Sam Gray Jr., walked through the doors of a Boys Club in Richmond, Va. Little could he have known back then that he would one day become the president and CEO of the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford. "I had no idea the journey I would embark on as a young person to adult," Gray said. "It has been filled with some of the best experiences professionally and personally. It was my safe haven and my second home. I am fortunate to recognize that what I am doing as a pro- fessional is my assignment in life. I love what I do each and every day and I'm thankful to work on behalf of our young people in the Greater Hartford community." In 2015, Gray says, the Boys & Girls Clubs of Hart- ford saw growth in both the number of youth served annually (7,000) and the average number of youth served daily (900) in the Greater Hartford community. "Our vision is to ensure that every young person who attends a Boys & Girls Club graduates from high school with a plan for the future," Gray said. "Whether it be continuing his/her educational pur- suits by attending a college or university, attending a technical school or joining our country's armed forces, every young person will have a plan." One of the projects the Boys & Girls Clubs are currently working on is STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) programming. The STEM Mentoring program, Gray explains, provides at-risk and high-risk youth ages 6-9 with academic enrichment programs and access to safe and friend- ly real-life role models and mentors. "Engaging in structured STEM activities can be used to build strong relationships between mentees and mentors," Gray said. "We are also pleased to know that STEM Mentoring employs a tested, the- matic, project-based approach that incorporates a wide variety of multimedia resources and the latest pedagogy in STEM education, all aligned with the Next Generation Science Standards." A new partnership with the Bloomfield Public Schools has provided extended school day services for students in grades two through four. The part- nership, Gray says, will focus on STEM program- ming for all students in the 2016-2017 school years. Recently, Gray was named as one of just 50 Boys and Girls Club leaders to be selected to participate in a new year-long leadership development pro- gram with a collaborative educational experience designed by Harvard Business School Executive Education and Boys & Girls Clubs of America In addition to serving as an advisory member to the president of Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Advi- sory Committee and chairperson of the Boys & Girls Clubs of America's Northeast Region Training and Pro- fessional Devel- opment Advisory Committee, Gray has also received Leadership Great- er Hartford's Polaris Award and Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity's Kappa Achieve- ment Award. "I am living my dream," Gray said. "I believe I have the best job in the world. I have the abil - ity to guide young people towards a great future that will impact our communities in a positive way." Our vision is to ensure that every young person who attends a Boys & Girls Club graduates from high school with a plan for the future. Now Title: President and CEO Company: Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford Inc., Hartford Age: 45 Then Title: President and CEO Company: Boys & Girls Clubs of Hartford Inc. Age: 39 PROFILE: Samuel S. Gray, Jr. Gray, 2009 Gray, today Winner Amit Chowdhury wears his music-themed sunglasses on his way to the stage to accept his award. Winner Mathew Jasinski poses in front of the official "40 Under Forty Wall." Class Photo: Past Party Pics: The photo shoot for the 2009 special edition was held at the Connecticut Science Center in Hartford. On the Cover:

• Cover