Jay Mehta leads the Community Benefits Agreement Resource Center (CBARC). He began his work with JMA in December 2019 as the Senior Researcher for New Jersey and most recently served as Northeast Director, overseeing JMA’s programs in New York and New Jersey.
He has 20 years of domestic and international research, campaign and election-related experience. Jay previously worked for the UNITE HERE Union, where he was successful in raising standards, organizing opportunities and developing key community and political stakeholder relationships for hotel, airport and casino workers throughout North America. Following his time with the union, Jay also served as an issue and opposition researcher for the Working Families Party and directly prior to joining JMA, worked as an independent research and creative consultant. He has also monitored elections in Kazakhstan and Azerbaijan and served as an administrator for Iraq’s first out-of-country voting program in 2004.
Jay received his Bachelors in Philosophy and Religion from Flagler College (‘02) in St. Augustine, Florida and a Masters in Diplomacy, Law and Global Change from Coventry University in England (‘03). Jay and his wife Karen live in Queens, NY with Ziggy, their lovely and sometimes rambunctious rescue dog.