A native Phoenician and graduate of NAU, Jake Gray is our newest Manifesto Project board member. The Manifesto Project Apprenticeship Program helps millennial professionals connect with non-profit and for-profit partner organizations as non-voting, non-fiduciary board member.
Jake is fairly new to the world of nonprofits and philanthropy, but has always had a drive to give back. Please join us in welcoming him to SVPAZ!
More from Jake:
What do you most look forward to / hope to accomplish as a Partner? I’m here to learn and soak up as much as I possibly can as I’ve never been on a Board. I’m also a novice as it relates to the world of philanthropy. All that to be said, I hope to leverage who and what I know to contribute in any way that I can!
What’s your motto? I’m not sure I have my own, but I’m a very firm believer in the Golden Rule and that you get back what you put in. A few borrowed favorite quotes would be:
- “Hakuna Matata” – The Lion King
- “The best journeys in life answer questions you never thought to ask”. – 180 South
- “Never put off till tomorrow what you can do the day after tomorrow just as well”. – Mark Twain
- “Do what you can, with what you have, where you are.” – Theodore Roosevelt
- “The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others”. – Gandhi
- “Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don’t matter and those who matter don’t mind.” -Dr. Seuss
What’s your most marked characteristic? Restlessness
When and where are you happiest? Anytime I’m on the water. Whether it be fresh or salt, being on boats and specifically fishing, makes me extremely happy. That said, I’m equally as happy just being around my close friends and family.
What’s on your bucket list? Creating a bucket list! In the meantime, here are a few ideas…
- Driving a monster truck
- Completing a 100 mile trail run
- Complete the Arizona Trail
- Catch a fish in every lake in Arizona
- Visit Antarctica
- Spend a summer commercial fishing in Alaska
What four words would other people use to describe you? I enlisted my wife’s help here! She would say, charismatic, energetic, straightforward and funny.