Jay Graham, North Pacific Union association treasurer, retires Oct. 1, 2026 with gratitude for the people and opportunities that shaped his career.
“I’ve been blessed wherever I’ve been with good working environments and great people to work with,” he said. “Things have worked out.”
Born in South Dakota, Graham spent his early childhood on an Oregon dairy farm before his family moved to Corvallis for Adventist education. He attended elementary and secondary school at Laurelwood Academy.
Graham initially planned to become a pharmacist, but biology and chemistry at Walla Walla College prompted him to reconsider. Enjoying numbers and accounting, he studied business with an emphasis in healthcare.
An accounting internship at Tillamook Hospital cemented his decision for a career in healthcare finance. His first full-time job, however, was in Southern California Conference’s trust department.
Graham returned to Tillamook Hospital, serving as an accountant and accounting manager for 11 years while pursuing and obtaining his certified public accountant credential.
He then spent four and a half years in Adventist Health’s corporate audit office in Roseville, California. When travel became difficult for his family, he moved to the Sonora hospital, working in budget and reimbursement for approximately seven years.
An opening at Adventist Health Portland brought the Grahams closer to their Northwest-based family. Over 10 years, he worked in financial analysis, budget and reimbursement, and accounting before joining NPUC nine years ago to serve as association treasurer.
Working with the revolving fund has been particularly rewarding, allowing Graham to help churches and schools with funding facility improvements.
“Especially in a lot of accounting in a hospital, you’re not directly helping people,” he said. “This way, I can help entities with their loans when they need money for church and school projects.”
He values those relationships, whether developed through calls, emails or meetings with planned giving colleagues.
Graham and his wife, Marilyn, a home health nurse, have three adult children: a daughter who works as a nurse in Maryland, a son in the Seattle area who has worked as a Horizon Air pilot, and a son nearby who works as a diesel mechanic. They have two grandchildren and another on the way.
Family memories include the children’s 4-H activities with horses and dogs, along with horse family trips with friends.
Graham’s retirement plans are modest. Retirement will bring house projects, visits with grandchildren and perhaps an Alaska cruise.
Graham also enjoys gardening, working outdoors, building and repairing things, finding satisfaction in extending the useful life of something that others might discard.
“I like to try to repair things,” he said. “I hate to throw stuff away when it’s just as good and there’s maybe just a little piece that’s broken.”
As he concluded his service at NPUC, Graham expressed appreciation for his colleagues.
“It’s been a fun group to come to work every day with and see everybody,” he said.
Jay Graham, NPUC association treasurer
