Jennifer founded Driven To Serve in 2021. She is a Lieutenant with the Oakland Fire Department where she has dedicated herself for the past 24 years. She worked in the positions of Firefighter, Paramedic and Engineer before promoting to Lieutenant. Jennifer worked to develop a police and fire marine response group in Oakland to facilitate a continued cohesive relationship between the two agencies. She has written grants and proposals for the fire department in which regional training and the union of police and fire agencies were instrumental.

Jennifer graduated from the California Maritime Academy with a Bachelor of Science in Business Administration and is a licensed 2nd Mate/1600 Ton Master in the U.S. Merchant Marine. She has also completed coursework at Long Beach State University for her Master of Science in Criminal Justice.

During her off-time from the fire department, Jennifer spent 11 years volunteering for a nonprofit called the Police and Fire: The Fallen Heroes, providing assistance to families and agencies, and scholarships to children who were effected by a line of duty death. She volunteered in a multitude of capacities with The Fallen heroes from logistics, graphics and event planning to being a member of the Board.

In 2015, Jennifer was appointed to a 4 year term with the California State Board of Pilot Commissioners for San Francisco, San Pablo and Suisun. In 2021, she was reappointed to the Commission by Governor Newsom and is serving a second 4 year term. She is also a board member with the Down Syndrome Connection of the Bay Area, serving since 2021.

Jennifer lives in Benicia and has a daughter in college at the Maritime Academy.

Gray has over 16 years of experience advocating for public school children, teachers, parents, working families and her community. Gray was an Alameda elementary school teacher for 10 years and her son graduated from Alameda High School in 2011. Gray most recently served as an Alameda Unified School District Board Member for 5 years where she spearheaded implementation of fair enrollment policies that assist our military families and created career pathways and apprenticeship opportunities for our students. Joining the Board for Driven to Serve will allow her to continue to apply her passion for students and education.

During her time as a teacher, Gray was instrumental in creating the Maya Lin arts magnet program in Alameda. Gray was the teacher volunteer coordinator for the School District’s successful 2010 parcel tax campaign. She served two years as president of the Alameda Democratic Club and three years as a delegate to the state Democratic Party. She was selected Woman of the Year by Assembly Member Rob Bonta in 2013.

Gray currently works for the California Teachers Association representing over 2,000 teachers in nine Bay Area school districts where she helps educators maximize their instruction to best serve the students in the classroom. In addition, Gray does legislative work for California’s teachers and her extensive government experience helps her effectively navigate a multitude of bureaucracies and bring new partnerships to her endeavors.

Gray earned her Bachelor’s in Psychology from University of California at Berkeley and received her teaching credential from Mills College. Gray also holds an early childhood education degree from the College of Marin. She graduated with honors from all three colleges.

Gray enjoys being an active member of the Alameda community through the Elk’s Lodge, the Democratic Club, and the League of Women Voters.

Heather is the Oakland Fire Department Deputy Chief of Operations with over 18 years of service. [more to come]