Dayna Gray
Graystone Partners
Dayna Gray has been named to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, the annual award recognizing the 100 most exceptional leaders and practitioners in talent acquisition. Honorees are selected by the Talent 100 committee from thousands of nominations and candidates across the industry, chosen for the impact of their work, the depth of their craft, and their influence on the future of recruiting. This is Dayna's story.
Dayna Gray, Founder & Executive Recruiter at Graystone Partners, did not initially set out to build a career in recruiting. It evolved instead through early exposure to both sales and talent, and through a growing realization of where her strengths truly lay.
She began her career in staff augmentation on the sales side, working a full-desk role that combined recruiting and business development. She was capable in sales, but she quickly noticed where she had the most impact, and it was not in selling products. It was in working with people. Conversations with candidates energized her, as did understanding their backgrounds and helping align them with meaningful opportunities. Over time, she realized she was simply more successful in recruiting than in new business development.
That shift in both performance and passion ultimately led her to transition fully into recruiting in 2011. What started as a hybrid role became a long-term career built around connecting people to opportunity and advocating for talent in a competitive market.
The Leaders Who Shaped Her Approach
Throughout her career, Dayna has been influenced by leaders who each shaped a different dimension of how she leads today. Jenny Deedy was the first to take a chance on her and bring her into recruiting, an opportunity that proved foundational. She saw potential in Dayna before Dayna fully saw it in herself, setting the stage for an entire career in talent acquisition.
Laura Smith, Vice President of Human Resources at Dexian, played a critical role during Dayna's transition from agency to corporate recruiting. She introduced her to a new level of leadership maturity, emphasizing accountability, directness, and the difference between being “nice” and being effective. That mentorship became a turning point in how Dayna approaches leadership.
Lydia Wilson, Chief People Officer at Dexian, expanded her thinking beyond hiring and into the full employee lifecycle, emphasizing employee experience, psychological safety, and long-term engagement. Through her, Dayna came to understand what happens after the hire and how it shapes retention and culture. Together, these leaders shaped a leadership philosophy grounded in accountability, empathy, and employee-centered thinking.
AI Is Strengthening the Recruiter's Role, Not Replacing It
Dayna sees AI as a powerful enhancement to talent acquisition rather than a threat to it. In her view, it reduces the administrative burden that so often slows recruiters down. Tasks like note-taking, transcription, and interview documentation can now be streamlined, freeing recruiters to focus on strategic and human-centered work.
It also improves how candidates are positioned in front of hiring managers, helping recruiters better tell their story in a competitive market. Most importantly, it allows recruiters to spend more time doing what matters most, which is engaging with people. For Dayna, AI serves as a lever that strengthens productivity while preserving the human element at the core of recruiting.
Advice for Talent Leaders Navigating 2026
Looking ahead, Dayna emphasizes that talent leaders must become more strategic, data-driven, and technology-enabled, while still protecting the human experience at the center of hiring. The industry is being shaped by economic uncertainty, tighter budgets, evolving candidate expectations, and rapid technological change, and in that environment, reacting is not enough.
Her advice is to be intentional. Leaders must embrace technology like AI, but they must also ensure it is implemented in a way that enhances rather than replaces the candidate and hiring manager experience. The most effective talent leaders will be those who can balance speed with strategy, and innovation with empathy. In a landscape defined by constant change, that balance will be what sets strong leaders apart.
The Talent 100 exists to celebrate the people shaping the future of how the world hires, and few embody that better than Dayna. We are honored to welcome Dayna Gray to the Talent 100, Class of 2026, and grateful for the experience, perspective, and craft they bring to this community. Congratulations, Dayna. Welcome to the Talent 100.
About the Talent 100
The Talent 100 is an annual list spotlighting the leaders who push HR and talent acquisition forward, organized by Noon AI. Honorees are selected through peer nominations and independent selection committees. Selection is entirely merit-based, with no fees or pay-to-play requirements.
