Lauren Gray

Lauren is an award-winning senior strategic communications advisor and consultant, bringing nearly 20 years of experience and a law degree to her work. She currently serves as Vice President of Communications and Public Affairs at the National Center for LGBTQ Rights (NCLR), a legal organization that has been securing key and landmark LGBTQ civil rights victories for the community since 1977. In 2026, NCLR Legal Director Shannon Minter was named to the TIME100 as one of the most influential people in the world, and an Evident Media/PBS mini-documentary featuring one of NCLR's plaintiffs was nominated for an Emmy.

Previously, Lauren served as a Senior Vice President at global communications leader Edelman. An expert on brand reputation, she helped clients navigate complex reputational and societal issues. In this role, she served as Corporate & Crisis Lead for Out Front, a team of 75+ integrated experts providing highly specialized counsel on LGBTQ+ issues. For more than three years, she led Edelman's award-winning work with UNFPA, the United Nations agency focused on sexual and reproductive health and rights. She also worked with clients across industries—such as tech, fashion, CPG, retail, and health—on the business implications of landmark Supreme Court decisions, such as the overturn of affirmative action in college admissions and the overturn of Roe v. Wade. During her time at Edelman, Lauren also helped secure and worked on a years-long pro bono investment by Edelman with the National Center for LGBTQ Rights.  

Earlier in her career, Lauren provided crisis communications support to the City of New York and Planned Parenthood Federation of America. She trained survivors of military sexual assault to share their stories with the media and testify before Congress. And she led communications for the first lawsuit filed by NCLR against the 2017 transgender military ban, which was later repealed.    

 Lauren was one of four Edelman employees honored in New York’s City & State Political PR Power 50. PR Week named Lauren to its Pride in PR list featuring 30 leading LGBTQ+ professionals. Lauren was also honored by PR Week as a Champion of PR, one of 36 women in the U.S. who represent the “gold standard in the industry.”  

 She has been featured in CNBC, The Guardian, Morning Consult, Yahoo, Adweek and other outlets.