About me
Robert Gray is the Founding Executive Director of The Uhuru Foundation, a Charlottesville-based nonprofit dedicated to expanding opportunity for individuals navigating reentry, homelessness, recovery, and workforce barriers. In this role, Robert provides strategic leadership across program development, partnership building, fundraising, and organizational management. He is a subject matter expert in reentry services, supportive housing, workforce development, and community-based violence prevention. Under his leadership, Uhuru operates initiatives such as the Keys to Love Supportive Housing Program, which provides peer-led housing and wraparound support for individuals returning from incarceration, experiencing homelessness, or in peer recovery, while also connecting residents to workforce pathways and employment opportunities that promote long-term stability and economic mobility.
A native of Albemarle County, Robert brings extensive experience in nonprofit leadership, program design, and cross-sector collaboration. He holds a Bachelor of Arts in Political Science with a concentration in Public Policy from Saint Augustine’s University and is a graduate of the CIC Business Program and the Chamber of Commerce’s Leadership Charlottesville. In addition to his executive leadership, Robert serves on several boards and advisory committees focused on criminal justice reform, reentry, and peer recovery. He has received numerous recognitions for his contributions to community leadership and violence prevention, including the Peacekeeper Award from the University of Virginia’s Batten School and the Caring for Community Award from the United Way of Greater Charlottesville. Through his work, Robert continues to build strategic partnerships across government, nonprofit, faith, and business sectors to expand opportunity and strengthen communities throughout Central Virginia.
