Former Guilford County Commissioner Ray Trapp has taken a new job that brings him back to the Triad and back into a role centered on community, relationships and long-term impact.
Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad announced this week that Trapp has been named vice president of advancement – a senior leadership position that will focus on fundraising and development, brand management, and communications as the organization pushes forward with an ambitious regional expansion across High Point, Greensboro, Winston-Salem, Asheboro and the surrounding communities.
It’s the latest chapter in a career that’s moved fluidly between public service, higher education, economic development and the private sector – and one that, in many ways, circles back to Trapp’s roots in Guilford County.
In his new role, Trapp will help lead the organization’s advancement strategy and support what Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad calls its “Future Ready Triad” vision, an effort aimed at expanding access to clubs and programs while deepening community investment and measurable outcomes for young people.
“Ray joins our organization at a pivotal moment,” Dr. William D. Gibson, president and CEO of Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad, said in a statement announcing the hire. “As we expand our footprint and elevate our impact across the Triad, this role is about far more than fundraising – it’s about shaping narrative, strengthening trust, and building the relational philanthropy required to sustain a regional movement.”
Gibson said Trapp brings “the credibility, strategic acumen, and community-centered leadership that this moment demands.”
Trapp said he’s very excited to be joining the organization at a time when it’s growing quickly and taking on a broader regional role.
“I am honored to join the organization at this important time and excited to help shape a future defined by community-centered growth, mission-driven action, and servant leadership – where every investment expands opportunity and creates lasting impact for young people and families across the Triad,” Trapp said.
For longtime Guilford County observers, Trapp’s name is a familiar one: He served as the county’s District 8 commissioner from 2012 to 2017 and earned a reputation as one of the most universally liked figures in local politics.
During his time on the board, the Rhino Times once ran a story with the headline “Everybody Loves Raymond” – despite the paper’s ideological differences with Trapp, a Democrat.
Trapp stepped down from the board in 2017 after accepting a government relations position at North Carolina A&T State University, a move that would have created a conflict of interest had he remained in elected office. At A&T, he served as director of external affairs, leading the university’s work in government relations and advocacy.
In 2021, Trapp left A&T to take a senior role with the Research Triangle Foundation, the steward organization of Research Triangle Park. As vice president of strategic engagement, he worked with leadership and planning teams to market the Park as a destination for business and to strengthen relationships among companies, universities and regional partners.
At the time, Trapp acknowledged that leaving Greensboro wasn’t easy.
“I was born in Greensboro and I love Greensboro, so it was a very difficult decision,” he said then – adding that he believed economic success in one part of the state ultimately benefited others as well.
A few years later, Trapp made another move – this time into the private sector.
In 2024, Duke Energy hired him as a district manager for the Durham area, where he served as a liaison between the regulated utility and local governments, elected officials and customers. That job reunited him professionally with former Guilford County Commissioner Hank Henning, a Republican who had taken on a similar role with Duke Energy in the Guilford County area.
“I’m definitely excited,” Trapp said when that position was announced. “It’s an amazing team.”
Those who’ve worked with Trapp over the years say his ability to move comfortably between sectors – and to maintain strong relationships across political and institutional lines – has been one of his defining traits. That skill set now becomes central to his work at Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad, which is pursuing aggressive growth across multiple counties and cities.
According to the organization, the Future Ready Triad initiative envisions expanding from five clubs and a teen center to more than 25 sites by 2030, serving more than 9,000 young people. Trapp’s role will involve engaging donors, boards, civic leaders and community partners around that shared goal.
Trapp’s background includes service in the US Navy, where he worked as an interior communications specialist, as well as experience in nonprofit, government and educational leadership. He holds degrees from North Carolina A&T State University and is currently pursuing a doctorate in organizational leadership and learning at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.
He and his wife, Shannon, are returning members of the Triad community and are raising a blended family of six – something the organization said grounds his professional leadership in a personal commitment to children, families and community outcomes.
For Boys & Girls Clubs of the Greater Triad, the hire is part of a broader effort to build an executive leadership team capable of sustaining long-term regional growth.
For Trapp, it’s another turn in a career that’s consistently blended public service, relationship-building and economic and community development – and one that brings him back home, once again, to a region where just about everybody still seems to love Ray.
