Jayant is the Director of Program Strategy at the National Association of Counties (NACo) and brings nearly 15 years of experience in the public and social sectors in developing and driving effective advocacy campaigns and high impact public programs. Jay oversees NACo’s portfolio of programs across the areas of health, human services, justice, economic development, resilience, transportation and infrastructure. In addition to overall program management and development responsibilities, he coordinates efforts across a large network of NACo stakeholders including private foundations, nonprofit partners, research entities and other member-driven organizations, and is working to advance greater use of data and analytics, human-centered design and equity-based frameworks across NACo’s program practice areas.
Mr. Kairam brings a robust and diverse background in key issue areas to NACo and its members, including expertise in domestic environmental policy, economic development and infrastructure, social equity and local government innovation. He was most recently the Deputy Assistant General Manager for External Affairs at the San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, where he led a metrics-driven community benefits program, managing the planning and implementation of $30 million of investments in community-based organizations. Prior to that, he served as the California Clean Energy Director for the Environmental Defense Fund overseeing state-level policy and regulatory operations. He has held leadership positions for the City of New York, including as Deputy Commissioner for the New York City Business Integrity Commission and as Senior Policy Advisor in the Office of the Mayor in New York City, where he helped orchestrate important reforms to New York’s solid waste management system and in advancing local sustainability goals. He is a graduate of Vassar College and the Harvard Kennedy School and served as U.S. Peace Corps Volunteer in Cape Verde.
