NJCA Staff Members

NATIONAL JOB CORPS ASSOCIATION names
DONNA HAY as PRESIDENT and CEO

Washington, DC, September 5, 2023 – The National Job Corps Association (NJCA), a 501(c)(6) trade association dedicated to the mission of connecting socioeconomically disadvantaged young people with opportunities and careers, has named Donna Hay as its President and CEO. Ms. Hay succeeds Byron V. Garrett, who now serves as the Executive Vice President of United Way Worldwide.

“The Board of Directors is pleased to have Donna Hay as the next chief leader of this association. Her experience, credentials, and commitment to opportunity youth were evident throughout the selection process,” stated NJCA Board of Directors Chair, Melissa Potter. “Job Corps is a program that serves the nation’s most vulnerable youth and develops them to become successful citizens with valuable work skills. The NJCA is dedicated to keeping this program vital amongst our lawmakers, leaders, and administration. We look forward to Ms. Hay’s leadership in our efforts to ensure our current and future youth have opportunities to fulfill their career goals and dreams.”

Ms. Hay brings more than 20 years of experience in higher education and career development with several key organizations and academic institutions including, the Advisory Board Company, The Washington Center, and Veris Insights. Her background in education, talent strategy, research delivery, and DEIA provides a key perspective to our Job Corps community.

“I’m truly honored to join the crucial work of the Job Corps community. I’ve always equated Job Corps with access of all types: educational access, professional access, and socioeconomic access,” said Ms. Hay. “My personal experience as an inner-city youth makes this mission important to me both personally and professionally. Every role of my career has focused on education, talent, or DEIA, and this sits at the intersection of all three. I look forward to helping advance the Job Corps’ legacy of access, which has been a cornerstone for this nation’s youth.”

Ms. Hay most recently served as Vice President of Market Impact and, prior to that, Vice President of Member Experience for Veris Insights, a recruiting intelligence and analytics firm where, amongst other responsibilities, she led a Member Experience team of 22 in advising Fortune 1000 companies on talent acquisition and university recruiting strategies and best practices.

Earlier roles include serving as Senior Director of College and University Relations with The Washington Center, where Ms. Hay managed a team responsible for 400 college/university partnerships, advising education leaders in setting and achieving experiential education goals, and Director of the Teaching and Learning Center of American Honors, a community college honors network of 17 campuses.

Ms. Hay holds a J.D. from Georgetown University, an M.A. in Higher and Postsecondary Education from Teachers College, Columbia University, and undergraduate degrees in Spanish and Nursing from Oakwood University, an Historically Black College / University (HBCU). Additionally, she is a Certified Diversity Professional through the National Diversity Council.