A Choctaw and Cherokee descendant,Gray directed the National Indigenous Elder Justice Initiative (NIEJI) from its inception in 2010 until her retirement from the University of North Dakota in 2022 as a research professor emerita. Gray provides consultation in health, mental health, and health disparities across Indian Country. She Co_Directs the Native Center for Behavioral Health at the University of Iowa and works internationally with Māori suicide prevention. Gray has worked with AI/AN/NH across the U.S. for over 45 years.