Kevin Gay
Vice Board Chair
Kevin T. Gay is a native of Jacksonville, FL and a graduate of the University of Florida. As CEO/Founder of Operation New Hope, he successfully revitalized urban neighborhoods in Jacksonville while helping the underserved communities find a way out of the cycle of addiction, poverty and incarceration.
Kevin left corporate America in 1999 to create a new model for community development. His mission initially was to restore urban communities through restoration of the Historic Springfield community. Operation New Hope (ONH) brought new housing, news skills which lead to new jobs and a revitalized community. In June of 2002, Kevin was invited to meet with President George W. Bush and Secretary of labor Elain Chao. This meeting led to ONH being selected by the White House to develop the first national model for Prisoner Re- entry called Ready4Work. This employment-based re-entry model was then introduced in 16 other cities around the country. Ready4Work Jacksonville has gained national attention because of its impact in reducing recidivism.
Kevin has served on several boards to include HabiJax, one of the nation's largest Habitat for Humanity affiliates, Gateway Community Services and the Florida Alliance of Community Development Corporations (the "FLACDC).