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Biography

As the Lobbying & Public Policy practice group leader, Trey Grayson is known as a problem solver and collaborative leader who works with his clients at the local, state and national levels to successfully navigate their government, legal, political, and regulatory challenges. Nationally, Trey serves as a trusted expert on election administration for corporations, associations, legislators, news media, voters, and election administrators at all levels.

In Kentucky, Trey is well-regarded for his objective and informed political and policy acumen. He regularly appears on Kentucky Education Television (KET), including serving as an in-studio analyst for KET’s election coverage and providing monthly political insights on Kentucky Edition.

Trey has strong ties to the Northern Kentucky/Greater Cincinnati region and is very active in civic and charitable organizations. Trey and his wife, Nancy, reside in Boone County, Kentucky, and have two daughters, Alex and Kate.

Trey is admitted to practice law in Kentucky and Ohio only, and he will practice under the supervision of D.C. Bar members.

Trey's Relevant Experience

Kentucky Government Relations Work

Trey has successfully represented dozens before the Kentucky General Assembly and Executive Branch to address challenges in areas such as broadband, budget, criminal justice, education, elections, entertainment, finance, health care, hemp, insurance, taxation, trade, and transportation.

In addition, he has engaged with state and local government officials to assist clients with a wide variety of economic development projects including health care, energy, real estate, riverports, taxation, and public-private partnerships (P3).

During the COVID-19 pandemic, Trey served as a member of the FBT Coronavirus Response Team, and helped FBT clients understand and navigate government reopening guidance.

Election Administration

Trey served two terms as Kentucky’s Secretary of State. The youngest secretary of state in the country at the time of his election, he served as President of the National Association of Secretaries of State and the Chair of the Republican Secretaries of State Association.

Trey continues to be recognized as a national leader in election administration, and is often called upon to advise state legislatures, state and local election administrators, stakeholder groups, and businesses across the country. In addition, he regularly authors opinion pieces for publication in such outlets as the Economist and New York Times, and is sought out by members of the press for his insightful, non-partisan understanding of election issues.

As a result, he has been asked to assist several government and non-profit efforts to improve election administration, including serving on the bipartisan Presidential Commission on Election Administration. He currently serves on the boards of Unite America and the Center for Election Innovation and Research and works with several additional organizations, including the Secure Elections Project, the National Task Force on Election Crises, and National Council on Election Integrity. He also serves on the advisory boards for States United Democracy Center, Issue One, the Election Official Legal Defense Network, the Safeguarding Democracy Project, and the National Institute for Civil Discourse.

Other Info About Trey

Work History

Prior Work Experience

Trey served as the Director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics from 2011-2014, becoming deeply engaged on campus, including service as a freshman academic adviser and faculty fellow of the men’s basketball team.

Trey is a former president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce for three years. At the Chamber, he was a recognized leader in workforce and regional collaboration.

Before entering politics, he practiced with the law firms of Greenebaum Doll & McDonald and Keating, Muething & Klekamp, focusing on estate planning and administration, real estate, small businesses and taxation.

Education

Law School

University of Kentucky, J.D., M.B.A., 1998, magna cum laude
Order of the Coif

Undergraduate School

Harvard College, A.B., 1994, cum laude

Bar Memberships

Trey is licensed to practice in the following state(s):

Kentucky, 1999

Ohio, 1998

Recognition

Local & National Recognition

C-Suite Award, Venue Magazine, 2016

Honorary Doctor of Laws, Eastern Kentucky University, 2014

Outstanding Young Professional Award, University of Kentucky College of Law, 2008

Rodel Fellow in Public Leadership, Aspen Institute, 2005 (inaugural class)

40 Under 40, Cincinnati Business Courier, 2005

Toll Fellow, Council of State Governments, 2004

Leadership Kentucky Class of 2002

Leadership Northern Kentucky Class of 2000

Kentucky Association for Academic Competition Hall of Fame, 2000

Civic Activities

Civic & Charitable Organizations

ArtsWave, Member, Sustaining Impact Grant Program Committee, 2016-present; Chair, Sustaining Impact Small Regional Committee, 2018-2019; Chair, Sustaining Impact Midsize Committee, 2020-present; Co-Chair, 2020 Northern Kentucky campaign; Board member, 2015-2023

Aviatra Accelerators, Board member, 2017-present; Vice-Chair, 2017-2019; Chair, 2020-2021

Boone County Ethics Commission, 2021-present

Center for Election Innovation & Research, Founding Board Member, 2017-present

Kentucky Education Television (KET), Regular Commentator on KET’s Elections Coverage; Northern Kentucky Regional Board Member, 2023-present

Election Official Legal Defense Network, Advisory Board Member, 2022-present

Harvard Alumni Association, Class of 1994 Reunion Committee, Member, 1994-present; Co-Chair, Schools Committee of Harvard Club of Cincinnati, 2015-2017, 2019-2020

Institute for Responsive Government, Advisory Board Member, 2022-present

Issue One, Advisory Committee, 2021-present

Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, Board Member, 1999-present; Vice-Chair, 2015-2018; Chair, 2018-present

Kosair For Kids, Advisory Board Member, 2023-present

Leadership Kentucky, Board Member, 2005-10 and 2015-present; Executive Committee member, 2018-present; Secretary, 2021

National Council on Election Integrity, 2020-present

National Task Force on Election Crises, 2020-present

Secure Elections Project, Chair, Advisory Committee, 2019-present

States United Democracy Center, Advisory Board Member, 2021-present

UCLA Law Safeguarding Democracy Project, Advisory Board Member, 2022-present

Unite America, Board of Directors, 2021-present

University of Arizona National Institute of Civil Discourse, National Advisory Board, 2011-present

University of Kentucky Martin School, Board of Visitors, 2013-present

Presentations

Trey was invited to speak at the following events:

What the 2022 Midterms Mean for 2024, Panelist, Georgetown University Law Center, Nov. 2022

Discussing Election Day in NKY, Guest, The Kentucky Side Podcast, Nov. 2022

Biden Policy Dinner, Speaker, Biden Institute of Public Policy, University of Delaware, Oct. 2022

Election Administration and Mail-In Voting, Council on Foreign Relations, July 28, 2020

Democracy in the Digital Age, University of Cincinnati, January 15, 2021

Understanding the CARES Federal Stimulus Act, NKY Chamber of Commerce

Elections, Cybersecurity, and COVID-19: Approaches to Managing Challenges, Global Cyber Alliance, June 29, 2020

Is This Normal? A Review of the 2020 Election, ProPublica Electionland, November 6, 2020

Turnout 2020: Reaching America’s Hard-to-Reach Voters in a Pandemic, New York University, May 19, 2020

How State Voting Proposals Could Impact How Millions of Americans Vote, National Council on Election Integrity, April 6, 2021

Ensuring Everyone Can Vote, 92nd Street Y, New York City, September 23, 2020

National Voter Registration Day: Chief Election Officers in a Pandemic, Harvard Kennedy School, Institute of Politics, September 22, 2020

Major Publications

Trey is an author or contributor to the following publications:

“The AI Election: The Promise and Perils of New Technology in 2024”, Secure Elections Project website, September 26, 2023

“Americans can trust their elections results,” Co-Author, Orlando Sentinel, December 13, 2022

“To Protect Democracy, Voters Should Reject Conspiracy Theorists Seeking to Run Elections,” Fulcrum, Nov. 2022

“For Freedom and Family, My Fellow Republicans Should Pass Law to Protect Same-Sex Marriage,” Lexington Herald-Leader, Sept. 2022

“State and Local Solutions Are Integral to Protect Election Officials and Democracy,” Just Security, Feb. 2022

“Hearings Show Why We Need to Have Faith in Elections,” Houston Chronicle, Aug. 2022

“A Lesson for Republicans: Voter Access Is Good Politics,” The Hill, June 2022

“Putin Wants to Hack Our Elections. Here’s How We Stop It,” Fox News, June 2022

“Michael Gableman’s Vendetta Over Wisconsin’s 2020 Election Must End – Before He Wreaks Havoc the Next One,” Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, May 2022

“State and Local Solutions Are Integral to Protect Election Officials and Democracy,” Just Security, Feb. 2022

“Republicans Must Stand with Poll Workers and Election Officials,” Orlando Sentinel, Dec. 2021

“Exporting the Fraudit to Pa. Would Be Disaster,” Trib Live, Aug. 2021

“Independent Report Outlines Why the Maricopa County Election Review Results Should Not Be Trusted,” Co-author, United States Democracy Center, June 22, 2021

“Opinion: Ohio should emulate Ky.’s pro-voter election reforms,” Author, Cincinnati.com, June 11, 2021

“Kentucky led with bipartisan election reform. Now Congress should fund infrastructure.” Author, Lexington Herald Leader, June 4, 2021.

“20 small steps to restore faith in American elections,” Co-author, Roll Call, May 3, 2021

“Improving election efficiency takes bipartisan cooperation, not partisan grandstanding,” Co-author, Washington Examiner, December 30, 2020

“It’s time to put country over party. Election officials have shown the way,” Lexington Herald-Leader, December 11, 2020

“Keep counting the votes,” Co-author, Augusta Chronicle, November 18, 2020

“Republicans Should Be Defending Georgia’s Election Process,” New York Times, November 12, 2020

“Trey Grayson on the reliability of the American election system,” The Economist, October 26, 2020

“It’s time to come to terms with ‘Election Week’,” Philadelphia Inquirer, September 15, 2020

“Why expanded voting options are critical for the election this year,” Co-author, The Hill, June 22, 2020

“The biggest win in 2020? Getting nonvoters to the polls,” Co-author, The Hill, March 3, 2020

“States should focus attention on ensuring election security,” Austin American-Statesman, December 12, 2019

“We Need a New Strategy to Protect US Elections,” Washington Examiner, June 20, 2019

“How to Avoid More Florida Recounts,” InsideSources.com, November 29, 2018.

“Ohio should adopt Automated Voter Registration Verification,” Cincinnati Enquirer, July 9, 2018

“This is No Joke: We Must Restore Civility to Public Discourse, so Anger and Violence Have to Go,” NKY Tribune, March 28, 2018

“Change in Higher Ed Funding Would Help NKU,” Kentucky Enquirer, February 2017

“NKY Taking Wide Angle View of Health,” Co-author, Kentucky Enquirer, September 2016

“Kentucky Academic Standards are Working,” Kentucky Enquirer, November 8, 2015

“The New Epidemic: How One Community Is Leading the Fight Against Heroin,” The Ripon Forum, September 2015

American Voting Experience: the Report of the Presidential Commission on Election Administration, Co-author, Presidential Commission on Election Administration, January 2014

“Recipe for Improving Civic Education,” Co-author, The Hill, October 15, 2013

All Together Now: Collaboration and Innovation for Youth Engagement, Co-author, The Report of the Commission on Youth Voting and Civic Knowledge, October 2013

Kentucky Government, Politics, and Public Policy, Author, Foreword, University Press of Kentucky, 2013

Campaign for President: The Managers Look at 2012, Author, Introduction, Rowman & Littlefield Publishers, 2013

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