When Meredith Gray was eight years old, her third-grade class participated in a program supporting a nonprofit that served meals to people in need in her hometown of Birmingham, Alabama. She vividly remembers one person she met while volunteering. “He looked me right in the eyes and said, ‘You’re my hero,’” she recalls. That moment sparked a lifelong understanding of how one person can have a profound impact on another—and it became a driving force in her life.
Today, Meredith brings that same spirit of connection and purpose to her role as Frazer Center’s new Director of Development. “Working in development is really about building relationships,” she says. “It’s about connecting donors to the mission and inviting them to become true partners in the work. I love identifying ways that a donor can be the hero in the lives of the people Frazer supports.”
Meredith earned her BA in Public Relations from Jacksonville State University and later worked as a recruiter for her alma mater. Her territory included Georgia, and she loved the state so much she moved to Atlanta in 2011. Meredith went on to earn dual master’s degrees—an MBA and an MPA with a concentration in nonprofit management—from Kennesaw State University.
While completing her MPA, Meredith interned with the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. That internship led to a full-time position, and the mission had deep personal meaning for her—her father had passed away from leukemia.
Later, Meredith took on a new position with the National Multiple Sclerosis Society, where she worked with individual donors across the Southeast and eventually in Texas and neighboring states.
Then came the pandemic, which changed everything. Travel became difficult, and around the same time, Meredith welcomed her first child.
“We knew the baby was going to be okay in the long run, but he spent his first week in the NICU,” she shares. That emotional experience opened her eyes to the challenges faced by other families, many of whom had traveled long distances to be near their newborns receiving critical care.
Not long afterward, Meredith joined the team at Atlanta Ronald McDonald House Charities, an organization that supports families like those she had met in the NICU. During her time there, she increased individual donor revenue, helped coordinate events, and supported a capital campaign.
After welcoming their second child, Meredith was ready for a new opportunity—and the role at Frazer Center felt like the perfect fit. “I’m so excited to be here,” she says. “Frazer’s core values and mission of inclusion really align with how I try to live my life and what we try to instill in our children.”
Frazer CEO DeAnna Julian agrees:
“We’re thrilled to have Meredith on board, especially at this stage in our growth. She brings experience, imagination, drive, and creativity to support Frazer as we look toward a capital campaign and beyond.”
Meredith’s first experience with the Frazer campus was in 2018, when she and her husband had their engagement photos taken at Cator Woolford Gardens. “There’s so much nature in the middle of the city,” she says. “Everywhere you look, there’s something beautiful—the forest, the gardens, the whole environment. It’s just a really special place to be.”
When she’s not at Frazer, Meredith enjoys reading, traveling, and spending time with her husband and their two young children, ages four and two. One day, she hopes to travel internationally as a family to expose her children to diverse cultures and perspectives. “I believe travel makes you a better person,” she says, “and helps you see that life isn’t just about yourself or where you live.”
Please join us in welcoming Meredith to the Frazer community! You can reach her at m.gray@frazercenter.org.