Staff and Contact

Kate Gray, Director

Kate Gray was born and raised in Texas, where she lived until 1998 when she moved to Washington State.  Ms. Gray has worked in non-profits most of her life.  After holding the position of Executive Director of Assisted Living Communities, she joined Franke Tobey Jones as the Senior Center Director in 2010,  

Ms. Gray graduated from Evergreen State College with a Bachelor’s Degree in psychology and business.  Through an internship, Kate was employed by Assured Home Health and Hospice where she was the Bereavement Counselor and Program Development Director.  During her tenure in this position, she was awarded the National Hospice Award for Outstanding Program Development.  Later she was appointed to the National Hospice Standards Committee.  Eventually, Ms. Gray took an Executive Director position at Evergreen Court in Bellevue, WA.  She was hired by Emeritus and eventually managed both Evergreen Lodge and Kirkland Lodge, both are assisted living communities. 

Ms. Gray loves Franke Tobey Jones and its mission, and enjoys working with the seniors at Pt. Defiance~Ruston Senior Center.  When asked why she does what she does, she stated “It’s in honor of my parents.  I took care of them in their latter years and I just love working with seniors.  I learn so much from them!”  While working at the Senior Center, Ms. Gray went on to pursue a Master’s Degree in Public Health Preparedness and Biosecurity for Agriculture. She states that “while those subjects may seem unrelated to my current position, I have often utilized my Public Health Preparedness training at the Senior Center.” 

Kate was married for almost 18 years.  Her pride and joy is her daughter, Kristen, who lives in Seattle.  Kate’s second joy is her recently acquired baby, Hershey, a Miniature Australian Labradoodle.  Hershey has quickly become the well known ambassador of the Senior Center, greeting everyone with a friendly wagging tail.  When Hershey is not in the building, everyone wants to know her whereabouts.  When Ms. Gray is not working, she enjoys reading, playing with Hershey and reveling in the beauty of Washington State.

Kate invites you to check out the Point Defiance~Ruston Senior Center and join any of the many activities offered every week.  (The calendar is located on the “Newsletter and Calendar” page.

 
Tyler Kaye, Assistant
Tyler Kaye is a native of Bremerton and a seventh-generation Washingtonian. He has worked in a variety of public sector and nonprofit positions and joined Franke Tobey Jones in 2022.

An early interest in the media led Tyler to work in community access television while he studied journalism at Olympic College. He decided to make Tacoma his home after transferring to the University of Washington branch campus here to finish a bachelor’s degree.

From 2003 to 2008, Tyler worked for the Pierce County Library System. His experience there included public services, primarily at the Lakewood branch, and administrative support to the human resources and director’s offices.

Tyler then spent 14 years with the Washington Talking Book & Braille Library as the registration and outreach specialist. Work with seniors was a major part of this role and he grew committed to meeting their needs. With this in mind, he left the library to earn a master’s degree in vision rehabilitation therapy from Western Michigan University.

While taking distance-based courses, Tyler worked weekends as a receptionist for Franke Tobey Jones. He was quickly impressed with the warmth and compassionate desire to serve that can be found throughout the organization. In 2024, he became the assistant at the Point Defiance~Ruston Senior Center.

In his spare time, Tyler enjoys trying new recipes, reading, and watching classic films. He has a strong interest in researching local history and was proud to assist in FTJ’s Centennial Celebration. He lives in Tacoma’s West End.