Jay Galbraith

James “Jay” Galbraith joined Valencia College in Central Florida in March 2014 and serves as the Vice President of Public Affairs and Marketing. He directs the college’s federal and state public affairs, strategic communications, community engagement and marketing. Valencia is one of the largest colleges in the United States, with more than 70,000 students attending five campuses in Orange and Osceola counties. The college was the inaugural winner of the Aspen Prize for Community College Excellence in 2011 and continues to serve as a national model for open-access student achievement. Prior to joining Valencia, Jay served as Vice President for State and Domestic Affairs at Sea World Entertainment, responsible for the company’s governmental affairs in Florida, Texas, California, Virginia and Pennsylvania. His education experience includes stints as Executive Director of Government Affairs for the Hubbs-Sea World Research Institute, Associate Vice President for Institutional Advancement and Director of Major Gifts at Lees-McRae College in Banner Elk, North Carolina, and Vice President for Development of the Pinellas Education Foundation in Largo, Florida. Jay served on staff to two members of the U.S. House of Representatives, Congressman Michael Bilirakis and Congressman Bill Grant. Jay is a graduate of Florida State University with a bachelor of science degree in political communication. He serves on the board of the Florida Chamber Foundation, West Orange Chamber of Commerce, Central Florida Community Leadership Board for the American Diabetes Association and Florida Hospital Winter Garden Community Advisory Board.