Trey Grayson, former president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber of Commerce, has joined Frost Brown Todd (FBT) and the firm’s government relations subsidiary, CivicPoint. Grayson will hold dual roles as a member of FBT in the firm’s Florence office and as a principal of CivicPoint, the consulting firm that has guided clients through state and local government affairs since 2013.
“In many ways, this is like a homecoming for me as I’ll be working alongside many good friends, past colleagues and mentors,” says Grayson. “Joining Frost Brown Todd allows me to continue my path as a problem solver, whether as an attorney working on legal issues, or as a lobbyist on issue advocacy. The firm has an impressive roster of legal and government relations professionals across a large footprint, with a particularly strong presence in this region. I’m honored to remain in Northern Kentucky and to work in the office that was founded by the late Bill Robinson, my good friend and mentor, who was an outstanding leader of our community.”
Grayson resigned from his position as president and CEO of the Northern Kentucky Chamber in early June after three years of successful leadership. During his tenure, the chamber made unprecedented strides in business advocacy, membership benefits, workforce and economic development. Grayson continued serving the chamber in an advisory role for several months to then interim and now permanent president and CEO Brent Cooper.
A Kentucky native, Grayson earned his JD/MBA at the University of Kentucky College of Law in 1998 and went on to practice law in Cincinnati. In 2003, at the age of 31, he was elected Kentucky Secretary of State – at the time the youngest secretary of state in the country. During his tenure, he served as chair of the Republican Association of Secretaries of State and president of the National Association of Secretaries of State. Recognized as a national leader in government innovation, election administration/reform, business services and civic education, Grayson served two terms, and then was hired as the director of Harvard University’s Institute of Politics in 2011. After returning to Kentucky in 2014, he has played a prominent role in the community and has served on the boards of numerous organizations, including United Way of Greater Cincinnati, Leadership Kentucky, ArtsWave, the Health Collaborative of Greater Cincinnati, and the Kentucky Governor’s Scholars Program, among others.
At FBT, Grayson is reunited with Jonathan Miller, with whom he worked closely on bipartisan policy matters when both held statewide elected office, and with Steve Robertson, who chaired the state Republican Party when Grayson served.
“As Frost Brown Todd continues to expand our mission as a voice and advocate for the Greater Cincinnati and Kentucky business community, Trey Grayson will be invaluable in serving our client needs, both as an attorney and as a government relations professional through our affiliate CivicPoint,” says FBT Chairman John R. Crockett, III. “Whatever role he has assumed, from public service in Frankfort, to leading the Northern KY Chamber, to a prominent position at Harvard University, Trey has earned a reputation for integrity and advancing the interests of economic growth in his community.”