Advisory Board Bio – Jay Galbraith

Jay Galbraith

Jay Galbraith

Vice President of Public Affairs and Advancement and Interim President, Valencia College

James “Jay” Galbraith joined Valencia College in Central Florida in March 2014.  He serves as the vice president of public affairs and advancement, and interim president for the Valencia College Foundation. He directs the college’s state and federal public affairs, communications, community engagement, economic development, marketing and advancement.

 

Valencia is one of the largest Community Colleges in the nation, with more than 70,000 students attending nine campuses and centers in Orange and Osceola counties. The college was the inaugural winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2011. Valencia continues to serve as a national model, with industry-leading rates of graduation, transfer and job training and placement.

 

Prior to joining Valencia, Galbraith served almost eight years as vice president for state and domestic affairs at Sea World Entertainment, responsible for the company’s government and industry relations in Florida, Texas, California, Virginia and Pennsylvania.

 

Galbraith served on the staff of two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Michael Bilirakis and Congressman Bill Grant, both from Florida.

 

His professional experience includes stints as executive director of government affairs for the Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute, associate vice president of institutional advancement at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and vice president of development for the Pinellas Education Foundation in Largo, Florida.

 

Galbraith is a graduate of Indian River State College, where he earned his Associate in Arts degree, and Florida State University, where he earned a bachelor’s in political communication. He serves on the board of the Florida Chamber Foundation, West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Kissimmee Chamber of Commerce and Florida Hospital Winter Garden Community Advisory Board. He and his wife, Carrie, an attorney, have four children.