Ray O'Conor

Ray O’Conor has been a weekly newspaper columnist and author of articles and opinion pieces published in several newspapers and magazines. His work as an author of narrative non-fiction has been the subject of stories and articles across broadcast, print and digital media. His first book, She Called Him Raymond – A True Story of Love, Loss, Faith and Healing, is a candidate for the 2016 Pulitzer Prize in the non-fiction category.

Ray left his position as a bank CEO and senior officer of a publicly traded company to pursue his writing career. He also served as a Special Agent with the United States Department of Defense and as a U.S. Border Patrol Agent.

Ray has a lifetime of involvement with many charitable causes and community based organizations. Among other recognitions, he was named a General Mills’ “Wheaties Everyday Champion”, is the recipient of the Distinguished Leadership Award by the National Association for Community Leadership, the American Bar Association’s Liberty Bell Award, the Centennial Good Scout Award from the Boy Scouts of America and the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services’ National Community Action Award.

His avocation is participating in endurance sports, such as marathons and the Ironman Triathlon, and mountain climbing.