About Ray Jefferson
Ray Jefferson is the President of Jefferson Group, a Singapore-based global consultancy with a focus on the C-suite that provides customized leadership, team, and talent development services to Fortune 500s, professional service firms, family-owned businesses, sports associations and government agencies. He was privileged to receive an appointment by U.S. President Joe Biden to serve as a member of the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships, the United States’ premier program for leadership and public service.
Ray is also the subject of a Harvard Business School (HBS) case titled “Raymond Jefferson: Trial by Fire,” which is used to teach resiliency, leadership, career transition, overcoming derailment, and how to pursue one’s purpose and passion through adversity.
Earlier in his career, President Barack Obama appointed Ray as the Senate-confirmed, U.S. Assistant Secretary for Veterans’ Employment and Training at the U.S. Department of Labor, where he was an agency head and led the Veterans’ Employment and Training Service. He was also a Leadership Consultant with McKinsey & Company in Singapore, where he created and delivered leadership training and development programs for McKinsey consultants and clients throughout Asia, with a special focus on capability building.
Ray graduated from the U.S. Military Academy at West Point in 1988 with a major in leadership, then served as an Army Officer with leadership positions in the U.S. Presidential Honor Guard (Infantry), 3rd Ranger Battalion (Ranger Infantry), and 1st Special Forces Group. While serving as a Special Forces (Green Beret) A-team leader, Ray lost all five fingers on his left hand while attempting to protect his teammates from a hand grenade detonating prematurely during classified training.
After recuperating, he earned an MPA in Strategic Management from Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, where he graduated with distinction as a Littauer fellow, and earned an MBA from Harvard Business School, where he was recognized with the Dean’s award for exceptional leadership and service. Upon graduation, he was selected as a White House Fellow and, following that, served as a Fulbright Fellow in Singapore where he studied leadership within Asian contexts.
Afterwards, he served as the State of Hawaii’s Deputy Director for the Department of Business, Economic Development, and Tourism. During his tenure there, Ray co-led the organization’s transformation and was selected by then-Secretary of State Colin Powell as one of two inaugural recipients of the Harrison H. Schmitt Leadership Award for Fulbright Alumni in recognition of him demonstrating extraordinary leadership and dedication to public service.
Ray is a member of the Asia Society, Council on Foreign Relations (life member), Fulbright Association, HBS African-American Alumni Association, NAACP, Special Forces Association, 75th Ranger Regiment Association, and Young Presidents’ Organization (YPO). Born and raised in Guilderland, New York, he now resides in Singapore and considers home to be Honolulu, Hawaii.