Meet the New Board Member: Michael W. Ray

By: Jewel Benton

NYABJ Pulse, would like to introduce you to our new executive board, from now until January 1, 2026 we will be introducing you to our incoming board. Kicking off this series we're proud to introduce you to Member-at-Large Michael W Ray. 

He is currently; the technical director and co-producer of a podcast called the 950 lounge. As well as a highly sought after Voice Over artist for Slang TV, ALOFT hotels by Marriott and the Public Service Announcement for the City of New York and the primary narrator for 7 different YouTube channels as well.

While Ray was familiar with the National Association of Black Journalists, he was unfamiliar with the local chapters until his business partner from 950 Lounge met incoming Vice President of Print, Fonda Sanders, who suggested connecting with Bonita Sostre, the outgoing president who served two terms. 

When the two finally met, Ray says they spoke for about 45 minutes far longer than the originally planned 10. That conversation led Ray to join NYABJ’s podcast committee, The Sidebar, where he has interviewed many notables. 

Initially, Ray was concerned about being “pigeonholed” into a lane; however, joining the podcast not only broadened his horizons, but proved life changing overall. “I got nothing but assistance in my growth and trinkets of responsibility… So, that's how I came about the organization and hindsight being 20/20 one of the best decisions I've ever made in my life, period personal or social or work-related doesn't matter.” 

Though he never envisioned joining an executive board (he recalls a conversation he had with outgoing Vice President Bill Allen), it’s his experience as a member that ultimately motivated him to run and to continue to support the organization, much like in 2020 when he joined. 

Ray attended Cayuga Community College, where he studied Radio & Television Broadcasting. He enjoyed working behind the scenes but soon realized he could be of greater value as a producer rather than solely an editor. It was when he worked as a paramedic— a career that spanned two decades— that he perfected the art of interviewing. 

“You’re taught to ask open-ended questions,” Ray says, referring to patient care. “The mathematics of it all has it to where if you ask three open-ended questions, you should get about six answers. And if you can get six answers from three open-ended questions, you should already have some idea of what's going on with this patient. So, when you combine the two, it's like, I need to be where I can make more of a difference other than just cutting up tape.” 

“I've been a member for a few years,” Ray continues. “I understand it from the back. I need to now go to the front so that I have a full picture and can contribute in ways whether it’s ideas, being more hands-on in terms of direction, or just being there. For members, that allows me to tell someone, ‘I understand where you're coming from,’ because I too have sat in the back, right? I've watched it from that vantage point. I'm now at this vantage point. So, you do have a representative from the back of the room now in the front of the room. I know what the people in the back of the room are thinking, but this is how it works in the front of the room.” 

The new Executive Board term will run from January 1, 2026, through December 31, 2028.