Karol Kain Gray is a distinguished financial executive with over four decades of experience in higher education finance, operations, and management. In July 2024, she was appointed interim chief financial officer (CFO) at Howard University, where she oversees all aspects of the university's financial management, including budget planning, resource allocation, accounting, and financial reporting. 

Before joining Howard University, Gray served as senior vice president and CFO at Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU) from 2016 until February 2024. During her tenure at VCU, she led the adoption of a new budget model and managed resources that kept tuition flat for four consecutive years for in-state undergraduate students. 

Prior to VCU, Gray was vice chancellor for finance and administration at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, managing a $2.5 billion budget with responsibilities ranging from financial operations to facilities services. She also held the position of vice president for finance and administration and chief fiscal officer at Stony Brook University in New York, overseeing the university's financial, budget, and administrative operations, including its health science center. Additionally, Gray served as CFO at Applied DNA Sciences, Inc., a public biotech company headquartered in Stony Brook. 

Gray earned a Bachelor of Science in business administration with a concentration in accounting from Hofstra University. She has been recognized as one of Long Island’s Top 50 Most Influential Women in Business in 2011 and served as a board member of the Coram Center for Developmentally Disabled Adults Inc. Her professional affiliations include the National Association of College and University Business Officers and the Council for the Advancement and Support of Education. 

Throughout her career, Karol Kain Gray has demonstrated exceptional leadership in financial management within higher education, contributing significantly to the institutions she has served.