Jay is the Vice President for Development and Alumni Relations at The Pennsylvania State University, leading advancement for one of the largest alumni communities in the world: over 800,000 living alumni worldwide. He stepped into the role in March 2026 after eight years at Virginia Commonwealth University, where total giving grew past $1.5 billion and he closed a $750 million campaign at over $840 million. Jay is known for two contributions to the field: "primary giving," his own framing for the donor base advancement has under-invested in, and the "1,000-day plan," an operating model he adapted from Silicon Valley.