Ed Lay

Sometimes, you run across a deserving, unsung hero in your community. Ed Lay is one of those heroes. Lay has served as a Board Member of the Cleveland Housing Authority (CHA) for the past 44 years, most of which have been in the leadership role of Chairman of the Board. He and his family have dedicated a significant portion of their lives to serving the less fortunate in our community by providing leadership, direction and service to CHA’s Board of Commissioners. The work of a Commissioner is often times a thankless job and is rarely given any public acknowledgement or recognition for their service, receives no pay, and will receive no retirement pension when their service ends.

Lay was a successful business man, owning and operating a number of family-owned stores in Tennessee and North Carolina, while raising his family in Cleveland. Yet given those responsibilities, he made it a priority to give back to the community through his service and leadership to CHA’s Board. Lay is also a Rotarian who lives by the Rotarian motto “Service Above Self.”

He and his wife, Vicky, are members of First Baptist Church of Cleveland. They have two sons and daughters- in-law, Charlie and Lisa Lay and Andy and Becca Lay, and five grandchildren, Caitlin, Lauren, Ryan, A.J. and James.