Jay is an elected parent leader and advocate who believes that neurodivergent individuals deserve to be supported by systems that truly understand them. Drawing from his lived experience as the parent of two AuDHD children, Jay has dedicated himself to bridging the gap between current educational policy and the reality of raising a PDAer himself.
Jay currently serves as the President of his elected School Board (Community Education Council), where he champions the rights of students with disabilities focusing on navigating the complexities of special education, ensuring protections under IDEA, and advocating for families to ensure mandated services like IEPs and IESPs are not just provided, but meet the child’s actual needs. Jay is particularly proud of his efforts to reform discipline policies that criminalize manifestations of disability and successful advocacy in securing millions in baseline funding for vital preschool special education programs in New York City.
With a background that includes previous service on the board of a community non-profit and working within New York City’s Community Boards, Jay brings a seasoned perspective on governance and civic engagement. He is passionate about raising awareness of the PDA profile so that the next generation of children—and the parents and professionals supporting them—don’t have to wait decades for their needs to be recognized.
Jay is excited to bring his experience to the PDA North America board. He lives in Brooklyn with his wife and their two children. When he isn’t advocating for student rights, Jay is an avid runner and can often be found logging miles across the neighborhoods of his hometown.
