Grayson Accepts Position at Kentucky Chamber of Commerce

Outgoing Institute of Politics Director C. M. Trey Grayson ’94 has accepted a position as president of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, Grayson announced earlier this week.

In a letter posted on the IOP website last month, Grayson cited his responsibility to his two daughters in the fifth and eighth grade as his main impetus for resigning, and announced plans to return to his home state of Kentucky following the end of the academic year.

Addressing a Politico article claiming that he had been forced out of his position by the IOP Senior Advisory Committee, Grayson insisted that the article was erroneous and the resignation was his choice.

Grayson plans on moving back to the area of Northern Kentucky where he grew up and lived as Secretary of State there before moving to Cambridge to assume his position at the IOP.

Although Grayson has not ruled out returning to politics sometime in the future, he said his new position will be a full-time job, managing around 25 employees and hundreds of volunteers throughout the community.

Grayson will begin working for the Chamber on July 1.

Grayson said he plans on drawing on his experience at the IOP to lead the Chamber, citing parallels between the two organizations.

“In some respects, [the Chamber is] similar to the IOP, where you have staff that works side by side with volunteers,” Grayson said.

Grayson also said he is excited to continue his passion for improving his community through public service.

“The chamber helps to unify the region, unify the governments, unify the businesses, unify schools and universities and nonprofits to try to improve the quality of life. So that sounds like a good job to me,” Grayson said.

—Staff writer Forrest K. Lewis can be reached at forrest.lewis@thecrimson.com.