Major GeneralSteven 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.
He became a pilot and attained the rating of command pilot, logging over 2,500 hours of military flying, mostly in the F-16.[5] He is a qualified Joint Task Force Commander[3] and held a variety of command, supervisory and staff positions in the 158th Fighter Wing and Vermont Joint Force Headquarters.[3] Prior to his appointment as adjutant general he served as assistant adjutant general for air.[6]
In February, 2013 Cray defeated three other candidates in the Vermont General Assembly election for the position.[7] 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. At the time, elections took place in February of each odd-numbered year.[8]
Cray was promoted to major general and took over from Drew in a ceremony on March 1, 2013, and Drew retired.[9]
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.[10] In February 2017, Cray was re-elected to another two-year term, again by unanimous voice vote.[11] He did not run for re-election in 2019.[12] Cray was presented with the Air Force Distinguished Service Medal at his March 2019 retirement ceremony.[13] He was succeeded by Brigadier General Gregory C. Knight.[14]
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.[15] He also served as president of the Vermont National Guard Charitable Foundation and on other civic and charitable boards and commissions.[16]
Education
1989 University of Vermont, Bachelor of Science, Agriculture, Burlington, Vermont
November 1986 – January 1989, assistant standards and evaluation officer, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vermont
January 1989 – July 1992, safety officer/flight lead, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vermont
July 1992 – April 1994, instructor pilot, F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vermont
April 1994 – August 1997, supervisor of flying/flight commander F-16, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vermont
August 1997 – September 2002, standards and evaluation flight examiner, 134th Fighter Squadron, Burlington, Vermont
September 2002 – May 2004, director of operations, Joint Force Headquarters, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
May 2004 – May 2006, director of plans and programs, Joint Force Headquarters, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
May 2006 – April 2009, chief of staff, Joint Force Headquarters, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
April 2009 – March 2013, assistant adjutant general-air, Vermont National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Vermont Air National Guard, Colchester, Vermont
March 2013 – March 2019, adjutant general, Vermont National Guard, Joint Force Headquarters, Colchester, Vermont[3][17]
Flight information
General Cray holds the rating of Command Pilot.[3] 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.[3]
^Bloomer, John H. Jr., Secretary of the Senate (February 16, 2017). "Journal of the Joint Assembly"(PDF). legislature.vermont.gov. Montpelier, VT: Vermont General Assembly. p. 4. Retrieved July 26, 2018.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)
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