Charles Michael Ray grew up in the Black Hills of South Dakota. In 1992 at the age of 19 he began working for South Dakota Public Radio as a reporter. He received a degree in geology in 1997 from the South Dakota School of Mines and Technology. He then worked overseas as a freelance journalist covering stories in Central Europe for Common Ground Radio and Free Speech Radio News. He has now returned to South Dakota to continue his work for SDPR. His stories have been recognized with Edward R. Murrow and Scripps Howard News Service awards.