Annual event to recognize individuals who have made contributions to
African American history and culture in Westchester County
Watch the Trailblazers Event Here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPvm8u9Vl6Q
Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins honored two remarkable African American citizens for their professional accomplishments and community efforts at the 2025 Trailblazers Awards Ceremony. “Trailblazers: Preserving our Legacy” was hosted live at the Little Theater at the Westchester County Center, as part of the County’s Black History Month celebration. The awards recognize individuals who have made great contributions to African American history and culture throughout Westchester County, and beyond.
Jenkins said: “The Trailblazers Awards Ceremony was created more than 20 years ago as way to honor outstanding individuals in the name of other heroic predecessors, so as not to forget their struggle and sacrifice.
We are fortunate that our County has been blessed with places and exhibits of historical significance, that help us remember the Black leaders who were change-makers long before our time. Tonight, help us by honoring these two outstanding individuals who stood out above the rest for their public service, and immense contributions to the mosaic that is Westchester County.
Chair of the African American Advisory Board Barbara L. Edwards, Esq. said: “During this Black History Month, we are celebrating remarkable contributions of two outstanding Trailblazers, Edward Lewis and Dr. LaRuth Gray. Their unwavering dedication and profound impact in the arts and education have not only enriched our cultural tapestry, but have also paved the way for future generations to soar. Let us honor their legacy and be inspired by their journey, as we continue to forge a path towards a brighter, more inclusive future.”
The 2025 Trailblazer Honorees received awards in the areas of Education and the Arts. This year’s honorees are Dr. La Ruth Gray, Cecil H. Parker Award for Education, and Edward J. Lewis, III, Cab Calloway Award for the Arts.
The Cecil H. Parker Award for Education: Dr. La Ruth Gray
Dr. La Ruth Gray is a lifelong educator, accomplished author, mother of two, and grandmother of nine. Having lived as an adult through 12 American presidencies, she has spent the past two decades observing the intersection of the chief executive and social issues, and how the individual personalities of each President impacted our national education system. Her latest book, School Desegregation and US Presidents, released by academic publisher Rowman and Littlefield, chronicles the philosophical, executive and legislative impact of seven US Presidents during the active periods of school desegregation and civil rights.
Gray dedicated her life to improving the quality of education for children. Beginning as a teacher in the New Rochelle Public Schools, Gray served in several leading roles. First, she served as Chairman of the middle school's Language Arts Department, then moved to Principal. She then served as Director of Instruction and Assistant Superintendent in the central office. Among the accomplishments attributed to Gray during that time was the design, development and execution of the reorganization of New Rochelle Public Schools, which addressed the twin problems of minority isolation and declining enrollment. That work is chronicled in the book What About Barnard.
Gray, the First Black female Superintendent in Westchester, joined the Abbott Union Free School District as Superintendent, retiring in 1989. During her Superintendency, she was honored by the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Alliance for Arts Education as an outstanding educator contributing to and supporting the arts in education. After retiring as Superintendent, she joined NYU’s Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development. Gray served as Deputy Director, The METRO Center, and an Affiliate Professor in the Administration, Leadership and Technology Program.
She has been recognized by the Dean of the Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development at NYU with a Faculty Award for Outstanding Service; the National School Boards Association as one of the “100 Outstanding Educators in Small School Districts in North America;” the Congressional Black Caucus Education Braintrust for her excellence and equity in Education; and the American Association of School Administrators (AASA) as one of the ten pioneering Sheroes for helping break the glass ceiling for women in education for the last three decades. She also received the prestigious Evelyn Campbell Award from AASA’s Woman Caucus. Other awards include: a Humanitarian Award from the New Rochelle Chamber of Commerce, and the Living Legend Award from the National Alliance of Black School Educators.
A nationally recognized educator, she has also served her community locally serving as President of the Martin Luther King Child Development Center and as President of the Westchester Library System. Additionally, she was a member of the United States Service Academy Review Board for the 29th Congressional District, Chair of the Palmer Memorial Committee for the American Education Research Association, Chair of the Education Committee for the African American Advisory Committee to Westchester County Executive, as well as a member of the Board of Directors of the Westchester Children’s Association and the New York State Commissioner’s Advisory Panel for Children with Handicapping Conditions. Gray currently serves as President Emeritus of the Board of Arts, Westchester and Professional Advisory Committee for the Child Development Institute of Sarah Lawrence College. She also serves as a Mentor in the American Association/Howard University Superintendent Preparation Program.
In addition to her book What about Barnard (2019), Gray has authored several journal articles, including, but not limited to, “Aspirations and Achievements of Italian and Black American Youths in the New Rochelle Public Schools,” (1978) and “White and Black females in the Classroom, American Educational Journal” (1998).
A graduate of Howard University, Nova University and Columbia University Teacher’s College, Gray is married to Joseph Morgan, an educator. She is the mother of Reverend Dierdra Gray Clark and Philip Gray, a financial advisor and employee benefit analyst.
Watch the Dr. La Ruth Gray Video
The Cab Calloway Award for the Arts: Edward J. Lewis, III
Ed Lewis joined Caramoor as President and CEO in May 2021. Since his arrival, he successfully implemented an ambitious 5-year strategic plan, aligned strategies between marketing, development and programming to drive ticket sales resulting in near record sales in 2024, and established a major gifts program (the first in Caramoor’s 79-year history) to drive increased philanthropy. His DEI efforts include establishing a first-time DEI statement for Caramoor, revamping recruitment practices to diversify staff and board membership, ensuring a broad diversity of presented artists, and applying a DEI lens to event security, hospitality and marketing and fundraising language. In addition, Lewis helped develop a community engagement program with meaningful and relevant celebrations of diverse communities within Westchester County. These efforts have been broadly lauded for creating a seismic shift in the culture at Caramoor, making it a more open, equitable and accessible cultural institution.
Prior to Caramoor, Lewis served as Vice Chancellor for Advancement at the University of North Carolina School of the Arts, where he implemented and led the University’s historic multi-award-winning fundraising initiative, Powering Creativity: The Campaign for UNCSA. The campaign, surpassing its $65 million public goal to raise over $75 million, supported innovative new programs, student scholarships, faculty endowments, facilities improvements and community engagement initiatives. Under Lewis’ leadership, the UNCSA Foundation endowment grew through fundraising efforts from $35 million in 2015 to over $70 million in February 2021.
Lewis was also the Senior Director of Development at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center at the University of Maryland, College Park, where he provided strategic direction for a comprehensive fundraising program for one of the nation’s leading university presenting programs. There, he helped design and lead the campaign for all the performing arts on the campus, raising over $42 million as part of University of Maryland’s first $1 billion comprehensive campaign Great Expectations: The Campaign for Maryland.
Lewis has an extensive background as a violist. He holds a Bachelor of Music degree from Northwestern University and a Master of Music degree from the University of Michigan, and he completed his Doctoral Program post-graduate studies at the University of Maryland School of Music, where he studied chamber music with the Guarneri String Quartet. As a professional musician, Lewis has performed as a member of the Dallas Opera Orchestra, the Dallas Chamber Orchestra, Santa Fe Pro Musica, the Toledo Symphony, Spoleto Festival Orchestra, and Aspen Chamber Symphony— among other ensembles.
Lewis enjoys international travel and when his busy schedule permits, he enjoys spending time at his home on the Maine coast.
Watch the Edward J. Lewis, III Video