Bridgette Gray is a visionary leader, strategist, and changemaker in workforce development and social impact. With 30 years of experience shaping inclusive talent pathways, she has transformed how companies assess, hire, promote, and retain diverse talent. As CEO of ideas42, Bridgette brings a proven track record of organizational transformation, leadership development, strategic partnerships, and revenue generation.

Before joining ideas42, Bridgette was the Chief Customer Officer and later Chief People Officer at Opportunity@Work, where she played a pivotal role in reshaping employment practices nationwide. She influenced former Maryland Governor Larry Hogan to remove degree requirements from state jobs, an initiative that ignited a national movement. She also spearheaded the organization’s expansion in Houston and Detroit, forging impactful partnerships with the Greater Houston Partnership, Chevron, the American Petroleum Institute, General Motors, and the Kellogg Foundation.

Bridgette spent seven and a half years at Per Scholas, launching the National Capital Region in 2014 and later serving as its Chief Impact Officer. She led the company’s expansion from five to seventeen campuses, increasing annual learner training from 800 to 3,000. The strategic vision is to reach 25 campuses and 10,000 learners by 2025. She also secured significant investments from Symantec and Capital One to strengthen cybersecurity training.

Her earlier career includes leadership roles at Year Up, the Points of Light Foundation, and the Corporation for National and Community Service, where she championed workforce inclusion and social impact initiatives.

Bridgette is a devoted mom to two adult children and four beloved furry g-babies and makes frequent trips to Seattle to visit her son and daughter-in-law. She resides in Howard County, Maryland, where she enjoys weekend brunches with her daughter and soaking up self-care time at The Pearl—whether it’s ballet barre, bungee fitness, Pilates, yoga, or simply unwinding in the healing waters.