David Gray

Hey, there! I'm
David Gray.

I spend my time improving legal and business operations, and I'm also (still?!) a creative marketing strategist.


About Me

I have over 12 years of experience in business operations and marketing/communications.I'm currently the business project manager at a legal aid organization serving the Tampa Bay area. I focus on improving legal and business operations through process improvement, project management, technology, and innovation. I'm also a project lead or advisor on several multi-year, six-figure Legal Services Corporation grants.Before changing careers, I focused on marketing and communications, including marketing strategy, digital marketing, website design and development, public relations, branding, and creative design. During my career, I worked with over 200 companies, most notably second-stage growth companies, including working as a consultant, working at a marketing agency, and working in-house at startups, law firms, and corporations.I hold an MBA with a specialization in strategic innovation from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, a Project Management Professional (PMP®) certification, Lean Six Sigma Black Belt (LSSBB) certification, Legal Lean Sigma® Yellow Belt in Process Improvement and Project Management, and several nonprofit management certifications.I also volunteer with several organizations: Mentor – Access to Justice Tech Fellows Program, Board Member – The Outreach Free Clinic and Resource Center, Advisor – Digital Marketing Certificate Program at the University of South Florida.


Noteworthy Projects

A2J Jobs
A free job board for access to justice careers. The A2J Jobs mission is to help connect like-minded professionals and organizations improving access to justice and fill the much-needed roles serving low-income and vulnerable individuals, families, and communities across the United States.
FosterPower
Funding: $274,000
Timeline: 2 years
Description: FosterPower is a movement to improve the lives and futures of youth in foster care by creating access to information on their benefits, protections, and legal rights.
Document Automation
Funding: $138,000
Timeline: 3 years
Description: An internal document automation project that will allow legal staff to generate firm documents and legal forms more efficiently to better serve clients.


Speaking

FosterPower: How to Start a Movement by Designing with (not for) Your Audience
Legal Services Corporation, Innovations in Technology Conference, Charlotte, NC (February 1, 2024)
Youth in Florida had no way to get information on their benefits, protections and legal rights in foster care—now they have it! FosterPower, an LSC TIG-funded project created and managed by Bay Area Legal Services (Tampa, Fla.), launched a groundbreaking free app, website and video series giving Florida's foster youth access to easy, digestible information about life skills and independent living, rights to healthcare, education, legal protections and much more. The initiative is the first of its kind nationwide. Current and former youth in Florida foster care were involved in every aspect of the project—doing initial market research and ideation, content review and editing, selecting a name and branding, and ongoing user testing. The FosterPower team will share the lessons they learned along the way—the good and the bad—and, most importantly, how they kept their audience at the center of the creation and development process.No Budget, No Techie, No Problem
Legal Services Corporation, Innovations in Technology Conference, Charlotte, NC (February 2, 2024)
Legal services organizations often face resource constraints, making tech-based solutions seemingly inaccessible. But the digital revolution needn't be out of reach. This session introduces No Code Tools as a game-changing solution, enabling non-technical teams to create custom applications without coding expertise. Learn from professionals who've successfully harnessed No Code Tools to improve efficiency, streamline workflows and enhance service delivery. Participate in interactive demos and real-world scenario discussions, gaining first-hand insights into the possibilities these tools unlock.


Let's Talk