Jay Carson

Jay Carson is an international and American policy advisor and strategist. Carson currently serves as a Senior Advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies and is co-principal in charge of the marketing & communications practice of Bloomberg Associates.^[1] Carson has extensive international and domestic political experience – from 2010 to 2015 he served as Executive Director and a Board Member of C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group, an organization of global mega-city mayors working together to combat climate change.^[2] Before joining Bloomberg and C40, Carson was the Chief Deputy Mayor of the City of Los Angeles.^[3]

For almost 20 years, Jay was a senior staffer for numerous current and former elected officials, including President Bill Clinton and the Clinton Foundation during the founding of the Clinton Global Initiative,^[4] Senate Democratic Majority Leader Tom Daschle,^[5] Senator Chuck Schumer, Senator Bill Bradley, and Governor Howard Dean. He was the Press Secretary for former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton during her 2008 presidential bid.^[6]

Carson was the Supervising Producer and the political consultant for the Netflix original series, “House of Cards (U.S. TV series)”. He worked on the show since its inception.^[7] He was also the inspiration for Ryan Gosling's character in the motion picture, "The Ides of March."^[8][9] He was named as one of Fortune Magazine’s “40 Under 40: Ones to Watch” in 2011.^[10]

Jay received his bachelor's degree from Columbia University, where he was a member of the rowing team. He has served as an adjunct professor at the University of Southern California, as a Senior Fellow at UCLA, and he is currently a member of the Board of Directors of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. He lives with his wife and three-year-old son in Los Angeles, CA. He is also an avid surfer.^[11]

Senior Advisor, Bloomberg Philanthropies; Co-Principal, Bloomberg Associates

Carson is the Co-Principal in charge of the marketing & communications practice of Bloomberg Associates.^[12] Bloomberg Associates is an international consulting service founded by Michael R. Bloomberg as a philanthropic venture. Our mission is to help city governments improve the quality of life of their citizens.^[13] Carson is also a Senior Advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies. Bloomberg Philanthropies encompasses all of the charitable giving for founder Michael R. Bloomberg.^[14]

Executive Director, C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group

In November 2010, Carson began serving in his current positions as the Executive Director for C40 Cities Climate Leadership Group and Senior Advisor to Bloomberg Philanthropies, Michael Bloomberg's venue for charitable giving.^[15][16]

Carson is stepping down as the Executive Director of the C40 in the spring of 2013.^[17] C40 Chair, New York City Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg stated: “Under his leadership and management C40 has made tremendous strides. He will be hard to replace, but we now have a strong management team in place and solid organizational structure that will carry this mission forward.”^[18]

Chief Deputy Mayor, City of Los Angeles

In early 2009, Carson joined Shangri La Industries in Los Angeles as the Senior Vice President where he was responsible for promoting and developing sustainable, eco-friendly products.,^[19][20] In September of that same year, Los Angeles Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa appointed Carson to the position of Chief Deputy Mayor as part of the Mayor’s broader effort to refocus his office during his second and final term.^[21] After Carson’s arrival, Villaraigosa replaced then Deputy Mayor S. David Freeman who was in charge of environmental matters with Austin Beutner, who served as both the first deputy mayor and as interim head of the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power.^[22] The new team embarked on a series of initiatives, including efforts to revamp the teams devoted to education, business, and lobbying the federal government. Carson also worked on the mayor’s effort to jump-start construction of his proposed "subway to the sea" and other transportation initiatives.^[23] In September 2010, Carson announced his plans to step down from his position as Chief Deputy Mayor at the end of the month stating, “The mayor brought me in to effect specific change in his office. I worked as hard as I could at his direction to make that change, and I’m proud of the job that I did.”^[24]

Press Secretary, Hillary Clinton 2008 Presidential Campaign

After spending several years as the Communications Director at the Clinton Foundation, Carson served as the Press Secretary for Hillary Clinton's 2008 presidential campaign.^[25] He traveled with Secretary Clinton throughout the campaign and was the on-the-record spokesman for the traveling press corps, the senior briefer for the candidate and the substantive liaison between headquarters and the traveling party.^[26] In addition to serving as the main spokesperson for the campaign, he was a senior advisor to then-Senator Clinton providing day-to-day counsel.^[27]

Communications Director, William J. Clinton Foundation

In August 2005, Carson was named the Communications Director for the William J. Clinton Foundation—President Clinton's international non-profit organization based in New York City—where he was responsible for overseeing media relations and serving as a senior advisor to the former President.^[28] In this capacity, Carson helped shape some of the Foundation’s signature programs including the Clinton Global Initiative and the Clinton Climate Initiative while also working with President Clinton on AIDS treatment, rural development, and the Asian tsunami and Hurricane Katrina recovery efforts.^[29]

Early Career and Education

Carson’s career as a senior-level policy advisor and strategist began in 1998 working on Senator Charles Schumer's successful upset Senate campaign and Bill Bradley's presidential campaign in 2000.^[30] Carson then served as the Deputy Communications Director for Senate Democratic Leader Tom Daschle.^[31] While with Senator Daschle, Carson was a member of the Senator's senior staff and worked closely with the legislative and policy teams.^[32] Carson also helped lead two successful recount efforts—one in 2000 and another in 2002 for Senators Cantwell (Washington) and Landrieu (Louisiana).^[33] Carson left the Leadership’s Office to become the Press Secretary for Governor Howard Dean's 2004 presidential campaign—the first major campaign to utilize the Internet for mass fundraising and volunteer organizing.^[34] After the Dean campaign, Jay worked as a Senior Advisor to New York City’s 2012 Olympic Games bid and Mayor Bloomberg’s Administration, focusing on approval of an NFL/Olympic stadium in Manhattan.^[35]

Carson received his B.A. from Columbia University in New York City, and has served as an Adjunct Professor at USC’s Annenberg School and Senior Fellow at UCLA’s School of Public Affairs.^[36]

Personal life

Carson is separated from the playwright and screenwriter Sarah Treem, and they have two children.^[37] Carson currently lives with his family in Los Angeles, California.^[38]

Awards and Honors

• In November 2011, Carson was named one of Fortune Magazine’s 40 Under 40: Ones to Watch.^[39]
• Member, Board of Directors, The Los Angeles Film Commission (FilmLA).^[40]
• Member, Board of Vision to Learn.^[41]

References