Widely acknowledged as one of the Legislature’s foremost experts on education and family policy, State Senator Linda Gray is entering her twelfth year as a state lawmaker from District 10, representing a large portion of the Northwest Valley.

Senator Gray is Chairwoman of the Senate’s Public Safety and Human Services Committee and Vice Chair of the Education K-12 Committee. She also serves on the Senate Higher Education and Government committees.

Born in St. Charles, Missouri, Senator Gray earned degrees in recreation administration and sociology from the University of Northern Colorado.

The mother of two children, Larry Jr. and Michelle, Senator Gray has served as a community activist, volunteer, and elected official. In addition to her work as a lawmaker, Mrs. Gray served on the Washington Elementary School Board and as a Precinct Committeeman for the District 10 Republican Party.

She also worked with the Angel Tree Project, which assists children whose parents are incarcerated, and volunteers in her Church’s nursery program.

She has frequently received the Making a Difference Award from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD) for her legislative efforts to strengthen Arizona’s DUI laws. Senator Gray is well known as the champion of stronger DUI legislation. She sponsored the extreme DUI bill that lowered the state’s extreme DUI level from .18 to .15. Both changes have been hailed by public safety advocates in Arizona and nationwide.

Also, Senator Gray is a strong advocate of parental choice in education, fighting to strengthen Arizona’s school choice laws and charter school system. In 2005, Senator Gray sponsored the School District Unification bill that will enable voters to decide in 2008 whether their school district will be a k-12 district.

Despite her numerous professional accomplishments, Mrs. Gray’s family continues to be her proudest achievement. Together with her husband of more than 20 years, she enjoys spending time with her family, traveling, and hiking.