Laguna Beach’s Pacific Marine Mammal Center finds new chief executive close to shore
Pacific Marine Mammal Center officials were looking for new leadership after former chief executive Peter Chang announced his departure in March and were interviewing search firms when they realized an ideal candidate was already among them.
The Laguna Beach nonprofit announced Wednesday local resident Glenn Gray — a retired bank executive and PMMC board member for the past five years — will helm the rescue and rehabilitation organization starting May 31.
Gray brings to the center more than 40 years of experience in commercial lending and specialty finance, having been chief executive of both the Orange County-based CalWest Bank and SunWest Bank dating back to 2005. He retired in 2020.
In addition to his time on the PMMC board, on which wife Kathryn previously sat, Gray has been a trustee for the Laguna Playhouse and has served as a board member and board chair of Habitat for Humanity of Orange County.
Born and raised in Illinois, Gray fell in love with California as a teenager visiting his older sister in Huntington Beach. He swore someday he, too, would live there.
“I went back and all I talked about was, ‘I’m going to California. I’m going to California,’†Gray, 68, recalled of his westward migration in 1979.
He began taking scuba diving classes soon after and realized not only a lifelong passion, but an important lesson about the need for ocean stewardship.
“I have seen the damage first-hand, rising water temperatures, bleached-out coral reefs, masses of single-use plastic and abandoned fishing lines entangling mammals,†he said. “If we do not take care of what covers 70% of our planet, the other 30% is in grave danger.â€
Gray credits his time working as a generalist in the finance industry for giving him an ability to understand the many perspectives that combine to form a business or organization. He aims to be a unifying force for all those who’ve made, and continue to make, PMMC what it is today.
He also hopes to build on strides made by Chang, who helped expand the organization’s science, education and outreach efforts, by sharing research data in collaborations with similar groups. Gray also plans to oversee the physical expansion of Laguna Canyon Road facility.
Peter Chang, who helped grow PMMC’s programs and fundraising efforts, resigned Friday after nearly four years of leadership. An interim CEO has been appointed.
His selection as chief executive was somewhat happenstance. As a member of a search committee to find Chang’s replacement, he and others learned more about candidate profiles that might be a good fit. One was a retired CEO who’s passionate about the cause.
“That was an ah-ha moment for the committee and myself,†Gray said Thursday. “It got me thinking.â€
Even as the search team continued its due diligence, Gray began talking with his family and others, who wholeheartedly supported the move. A May 18 board vote sealed the deal.
“Glenn is recognized for his decades of experience and success leading large teams and organizations,†board Chair Jeff Meberg said of Gray’s selection in a release Wednesday, “and we feel he is exactly the right person to lead us into our next chapter.â€
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