Retired Sgt. Maj. of the Army Michael Grinston will take on a new mission beginning Jan. 1 when he becomes director and CEO of Army Emergency Relief.

Grinston, who retired from the Army in August after 36 years of service, succeeds retired Lt. Gen. Raymond Mason and will be the first NCO to lead Army Emergency Relief in its 81-year history.

As the Army’s 16th sergeant major of the Army, Grinston was a big advocate of Army Emergency Relief and its mission to help soldiers and families struggling with financial distress. Grinston served on the organization’s board of managers for seven years, beginning when he was the senior enlisted leader for Army Forces Command and later as sergeant major of the Army.

Mason has led Army Emergency Relief since 2017. A logistician with more than 35 years of active-duty experience, Mason led the organization through the COVID-19 pandemic and spent countless hours helping educate soldiers about the benefits of Army Emergency Relief, the Army’s official nonprofit. He also worked to change the stigma of asking for financial help.

AUSA is a supporter of Army Emergency Relief and its mission to help soldiers. AUSA pledged $1 million in 2022 and another $1 million in 2023 to support a financial literacy program run by Army Emergency Relief. The program aims to improve financial readiness among soldiers and is part of a larger effort by AUSA to help soldiers and military families struggling with food insecurity.

For more information on Army Emergency Relief, click here.