Steven A. Cray
Major General Steven A. Cray (born June 15, 1964) was the Adjutant General of Vermont. In this post he served as the senior uniformed officer in the state, and was responsible for the organization, training and equipping of the 4,000 members of the Vermont Army and Air National Guard. As adjutant general, he also served as inspector general, quartermaster general and head of the State Military Department, including the Vermont State Guard and Veterans Affairs. Early life. Steven A. Cray was born in Burlington, Vermont, on June 15, 1964. He graduated from the University of Vermont (UVM ) in 1989 with a Bachelor of Science degree in business. Military career. General Cray enlisted in the Vermont Air National Guard while a student at UVM. He received his commission as a second lieutenant after graduating from the Academy of Military Science in 1984. He became a pilot and attained the rating of command pilot, logging over 2,500 hours of military flying, mostly in the F-16. He is a qualified Joint Task Force Commander and held a variety of command, supervisory and staff positions in the 158th Fighter Wing and Vermont Joint Force Headquarters. Prior to his appointment as adjutant  general he served as assistant adjutant general for air. Election as adjutant general. In 2012 Michael Dubie left the adjutant general's position to become deputy commander of United States Northern Command. He was succeeded on an interim basis by Thomas E. Drew. In February, 2013 Cray defeated three other candidates in the Vermont General Assembly election for the position. In Vermont, the adjutant general is elected for a two-year term in secret balloting by a combined meeting of the Vermont House of Representatives and Vermont State Senate in February of each odd-numbered year. Cray was promoted to  major general and took over from Drew in a ceremony on March 1, 2013, and Drew retired. Reelection as adjutant general. On February 19, 2015, the Vermont General Assembly reelected Cray to a two-year term. He was unopposed, and won by unanimous voice vote. In February 2017, Cray was re-elected to another two-year term, again by unanimous voice vote. He did not run for re-election in 2019. Cray was presented with the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal at his March 2019 retirement ceremony. He was succeeded by Brigadier General Gregory C. Knight. Civilian career. Before becoming  adjutant general, General Cray was employed as a commercial airline pilot with American Airlines, and logged over 10,000 flight hours. He also served as president of the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation and on other civic and charitable boards and commissions. Flight information. General Cray holds the rating of Command Pilot. He has flown more than 2,500 hours. The aircraft he has flown include the F-16A/B/C/D, AT-38, T-38, and T-37.