Jay was born and raised in Sayre, Pennsylvania where he attended the local public high school. 

He graduated from Penn State with a degree in English and started his career at his alma mater, where he led the team that developed one of the first official websites for a major intercollegiate athletics program. His career evolved at the National League of Conservation Voters, where he learned to convert affinity into meaningful advocacy and fundraising success before becoming a senior communications advisor to U.S. Senator Claire McCaskill. Most recently at Gallatin Public Affairs, a boutique Northwest advocacy firm, he was responsible for positioning higher education institutions, non-profits, political entities, and Northwest businesses for communications and advocacy success.

As National Digital Director, Jay is using his digital strategy experience to grow the organization’s influence and achieve real change in the movement for better schools. He lives in Portland with his wife and two daughters.