Jay Holland

Over more than a decade as a contract lobbyist, Jay Holland has represented trade associations, nonprofits, small businesses, and national corporations across an unusually wide range of policy areas — legislative advocacy, state budget negotiations, procurement, economic development, energy, agriculture, hospitality, and regulatory affairs. That breadth traces back to his years as Government Affairs Director for the New York State Restaurant Association and, before that, to the New York State Assembly's communications operation and political campaigns, where he first learned how policy, politics, and communications intersect.

That range was on display this session, where Holland's client work included Anheuser-Busch, the New York State Convenience Store Association, and the Real Estate Board of New York (REBNY) — clients facing high-profile issues before government that required translating the downstream consequences of policy proposals into arguments policymakers could act on, whether the impact fell on commercial development, economic competitiveness, or day-to-day operations. It reflects a career built on understanding not just the substance of a policy area, but the practical stakes for the businesses and communities depending on the outcome.

This month, Holland stepped into a new chapter of that career, joining Statewide Public Affairs as Senior Vice President. As one peer nominator put it, he's "a trusted and effective advocate" — a reputation reflected in his spots on City & State's Albany 40 Under 40 and Upstate Power 100 lists. A University of Kansas graduate and self-described "rabid Jayhawks fan," Holland lives and works in the Capital Region, where he stays active in New York's public policy community.