Annette Gray is CEO and Founder of GBDCEI.  She over sees Human Resources, Financial Management, defines along with the Board the organization’s vision, mission, and long-term goals. Create and implement strategic plans to achieve these objectives. Annette is the past winner of the Palm Beach Small Business of the Year Award, the Unsung Hero Award Winner, Glass Ceiling Award Winner, and the Executive Women in Leadership Award nominee. Annette has a Master’s in Business Administration (MBA). She is currently pursuing a DBA in Management and Leadership from The University of Liverpool (London, England) and a Management and Leadership Certification from Harvard University. Annette describes herself as an Education Futurist.  She is currently assisting organizations in both the private and public sectors to develop solutions of Post COVID problems such as workforce development, performance, and organizational culture.  She has developed a process of using the DISC assessment tool paired with Emotional intelligence training to improve employee, leadership and team performance.

Annette Gray has twenty-plus years of business applications, project management technical assistance, and one on one consulting and training experience. In addition to twenty-plus years of experience in economic development and construction/redevelopment, procurement, construction Performa development.  Prior to entrepreneurship, Annette led and managed teams at Fortune 500 Companies, such as MBNA America Bank, and government entities such as the City of Boynton Beach CRA and West Palm Beach DDA. She has over twenty years of experience in workforce and professional development education, marketing, economic development, and strategic planning in the private and public sectors. Her business ownership over the past twenty years has provided her with a diverse insight into the many aspects of how to run a successful business and has enabled her to speak from experience on a wide variety of topics.   She is particularly passionate about the topics surrounding Emotional Intelligence, Change Management, and Managing and Developing Millennials to ensure organizational sustainability.