Leela Gray

HI, I’M LEELA.

I’m a retired Army Brigadier General, third-generation veteran, small business leader, lawyer, and mom.

My family didn’t have much money growing up. I was the oldest of three, and I saw my dad fight to keep his small business going and, at the leanest times, my mom counted out food stamps at the grocery store. I started working at an early age: as a babysitter, as a lifeguard, and as a McDonald’s worker. I put myself through college by working two jobs, including as a waitress at Golden Corral. With every job, I learned more about the meaning of responsibility, discipline, and decisiveness. I also saw that work opened doors to opportunity.

For me, being the first in my family to go to college opened doors of opportunity to serve my community. Starting my junior year, the Army ROTC at Elon University gave me the opportunity to help pay my tuition. I fell in love with the Army as a cadet at Fort Knox, firing a 50-caliber machine gun at old beat-up tanks.

It became so much more than a ticket to school. I learned to see myself as a soldier.

Field Training 1986 Hard work gave me the opportunity to rise through the ranks of the Army, serving as a commander in Alabama, Indiana, New York, and Wisconsin. Leading soldiers from so many regions and cultures gave me a deep understanding of how to work with people different from me and earn their respect.

After a decade of active duty, I entered the Army Reserve. When serving in the Reserve, I also had a full-time civilian job. For me, it was a career in start-up technology and communications. I grew businesses, managed budgets, and solved problems that other people couldn’t.

Then September 11th came. I’d just had a baby three months earlier. And I was on reserve duty, across the river from the Pentagon.

All told, I served 30 years in uniform and did three deployments.

In 2014 and 2015, while working at the State Department, I collaborated to create new initiatives to take down terrorists’ narratives — propaganda that could be used to radicalize and recruit others to attack the United States — with strategic partnerships between the U.S. and countries around the world. In 2019, I served as a strategic advisor to the United States Army Cyber Command.

In the private sector, I held roles at a technology startup and other companies. In the community, I mentor startup founders at a tech accelerator and engage in veteran advocacy. I even co-created a local Tampa Bay TV show called “Veteran Strong” to showcase the value that veterans bring to the business community. My goal was to encourage local businesses to hire veterans for their wealth of skills and experience. I even went to law school and learned to help veterans access health care and other critical benefits.

My husband and I have lived in the Tampa Bay area for more than 20 years. We raised our daughter here. Now, I’m running for Congress to fight for the people in Pinellas County, Florida who work hard but see the doors of opportunity closing. I love my country and Florida, and I know that using my grit, determination, and hard work, we can turn things around.