Tracey Gray-Walker believes knowledge is power. She also believes that attitude will take you further than aptitude.

It’s probably safe to say she possesses the right measure of both knowledge and attitude, for since joining AXA Equitable’s Financial Management Associate Training Program in 1989, Gray-Walker has held several key positions, including that of financial manager, Northeastern Region; project manager, Workstation Project; and assistant vice president, Customer Marketing and Lead Generation.

Today she is vice president of Client Management for Retail Distribution, making her responsible for the Client Relations Manager Program that develops activities to enhance customer satisfaction, client retention and cross-selling opportunities. She also manages a centralized budget of $3 million, develops resource materials for field managers and facilitates national management development and training programs for more than 45 geographically dispersed client-relations managers.

As if that were not enough, she develops benchmarks, and metrics, to demonstrate the effectiveness of client-focused programs, creates sales tracking and reporting processes for senior management and serves as liaison between divisional staff, field managers and headquarters.

It’s a workload that some would consider daunting, but Gray-Walker, who has a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Fairleigh Dickinson University in New Jersey, takes it in stride. “Working in public accounting, I developed a strong work ethic and the ability to never give up, even when the road seemed impossible,” she says. This ability has served her well, not just professionally, but also in her personal life: She and her husband, Derek, are parents of an autistic 15-year-old son.

Gray-Walker has dedicated herself to raising awareness about autism. In 2004, she was named the Autism Ambassador of the Year by the Center for Outreach and Services in the Autistic Community. Ultimately, Gray-Walker says, her goal is “to create a foundation that is focused on educating parents of special children and helping them develop the skills necessary to advocate for their children to help ensure their child’s success.”

She also wants to eventually write children’s books to “help increase awareness about autism and the lives of
special children.”