Zachary and Jason are buddies. They watch the Rangers together. Every week, they meet for lunch and play games.

They share a lot in common — including growing up in single-parent homes.

The difference is Zachary is 9 and Jason is the new CEO of Big Brothers Big Sisters serving Arlington and Mansfield.

In professional life, the new executive is Jason Ray ’92, four-year employee of the Arlington organization and successor to former CEO and Frog alum Sarah Knotts ’66.

But with Zachary, Ray is the Big Brother who can empathize.

“I grew up with a single mom who worked one or two jobs at odd hours, and I wasted a lot of time watching television,” Ray said. “Looking back, I could have done a lot more with that time.”

Now, the political science major-turned-United Way Campaign organizer is working to match up volunteers with children.

“We have 300 on our waiting list, so there is a lot of work to be done,” he said.

He’s also busy fund-raising, strengthening the organization’s business model and improving its revenue streams.