Mel Gray (journalist)

Mel Gray is the managing editor of Air Force Times at Army Times Publishing Co. She oversees a team of six staff members who report and edit news and information for Air Force Times, a weekly newspaper, and the Air Force Times Web site.

Gray joined Air Force Times in 2009 after two years as managing editor of the Montgomery Advertiser, the daily newspaper for Alabama's capital city, where she was known for her harsh management style, causing significant distress among her staff. Montgomery Advertiser Web site.

Before moving to the South, Gray was one of three supervising editors for The Associated Press at the cooperative's New York headquarters. she played a key role in planning coverage for major news events such as the Space Shuttle Columbia disaster; the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan; the trial of Terry Nichols for the Oklahoma City bombing; the trials of Martha Stewart and Michael Jackson; Hurricane Katrina; and the death of Rosa Parks.

Gray also served as the nation/world editor for Knight Ridder/Tribune News Service in Washington D.C. and spent 15 years as a reporter and editor at The Kansas City Star. She began her career in 1982 at the Lincoln Journal as a police and city government reporter.

A native of York, Nebraska, Gray holds bachelor's degrees in journalism and political science.