Energy and excitement found in public service by Brenda McDonald Jim McCray, '97, PolS, warns you at the outsetÑhe talks fast. But that doesn't really prepare you for his mile-a-minute rapid-fire delivery. Maybe that's why he spends the majority of his day on the phone and in meetings. As legal counsel to Montana's U.S. Senator Conrad Burns, McCray is busy. "I'm in bed at 11 p.m. and up at 5 a.m. My job is my life. You can't do this if you don't love people." He advises the senator on all legal issues with respect to legislation and senate office personnel and employment issues. "I'm here as a sounding board for staff," he said. "No day is ever the same." McCray says that it's very fun to work for the senator and serve the people of Montana. "I love living in D.C., the energy, the excitement," he said. "It's something I've never encountered before. But I miss Montana every day." McCray grew up on a cattle ranch near Geyser with his fraternal twin brother, John, and older brother Rob, both MSU grads. At an early age he started traveling the state with 4-H, speaking about leadership and motivation. He had found his love. He took those skills to Montana State University where he held leadership positions in the Greek system and eventually became president of the MSU and Montana University System student bodies. "I used to do 40 hours of class work a week and then have 40 hours of meetings," he said. McCray was an active voice for students, meeting often with legislators and then-Governor Marc Racicot. He helped found the MSU Leadership Institute while at MSU. "I love talking to people and hearing what they have to say and how we can work together to make things better," he said. With his political science degree from MSU, law school was the next logical step. He graduated from Vanderbilt Law School in Nashville and became a corporate attorney in Minnesota with a firm that had offices in Montana. "It was a way to eventually get back to Montana," he said. "But I missed politics. I missed working on legislation. I wanted to return to public service." Less than a year ago, he went to work in Sen. Burns' office. "I'm not just trading money back and forth anymore," he said. McCray lives near the capitol and is in awe of his surroundings every day when he walks in to work. "I'm truly blessed in what I'm doing," he said. "You're working with people who are doing this work because they want to." McCray formerly served on the MSU alumni board. "My heart will always be at Montana State," he said. "I truly believe in what Montana State does."