Gray Coyner: Investing in the Next Generation

For Gray Coyner (’08), the decision to
attend Union University was rooted in
a search for personal connection. Coming
from a background where he valued
knowing his instructors, he sought an
environment where he wouldn’t be just
another number in a lecture hall.

A campus visit and the opportunity to
sit in on a class convinced him that Union
offered the welcoming, high-quality academic
environment he needed to thrive.

Nearly 20 years after earning his accounting
degree, Coyner serves as a principal
at Thompson Greenspon in Fairfax,
Virginia, and leads the accounting firm’s
construction and real estate niche. He
first joined the firm as an intern in 2007
and was hired as a staff accountant upon
graduating from Union.

Coyner credits much of his professional
trajectory to the mentorship
he received as a student, particularly
from professors like Karen Miller, who
helped him solidify his path as a public
accounting auditor.

“I think it’s tremendously impacted my
professional career,” Coyner said of his
time at Union. “The professors and how
they pour into their students, how they
create a personal connection… really has
helped make me continue to be connected.”

That sense of connection has inspired
Coyner to give back consistently. His
philanthropy is multi-faceted: he established
an accounting scholarship where
Miller selects the recipient, and he remains
a dedicated supporter of Enactus.

His most significant contributions,
however, focus on campus improvements.
Coyner believes the physical environment
should be a testament to the
caliber of the students and faculty within.

“I think Union has phenomenal highquality
education, and I want the campus
to match that,” he said.

For him, giving back is an extension
of how he was raised — to support and
invest in his community.

“I consider Union my community,” he
said. “I want to enable Union to continue
to meet its vision and its mission.”