Jay Carter is an African American conservationist, human activist, and a former foreign English teacher who taught in China. As of 2005, Jay became an AmeriCorps and Student Conservation Association (S.C.A.) Ambassador and Alumni. In 2006, Jay landed his first conservation project with S.C.A. as a TRRO Conservation Leadership Corps (CLC) known as "Trailblazers". Jay worked with local and federal government agencies managing and overseeing aspects of public safety, parks and recreational activities, educational programs and community relations. In 2012, Jay was elected as a S.C.A. Ambassador to support national and local communities on environmental efforts. In 2015, Jay served under the U.S. Department of Interior as a Centennial Ambassador to the Natchez Trace Parkway stretching 444 miles across the States of Tennessee, Mississippi and part of Louisiana. Jay connected people to the national parks and its units by expanding hands-on service-learning community programs and activities for park's staff and visitors.
In 2016, Carter was hired as a S.C.A. Park Ranger Supervisor co-operated and led by the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Parks and Recreation. Jay patrolled and educated park users about environmental impacts, recreational activities, community services and wildlife and public safety awareness. In April 2017, Jay volunteer prior to being asked to worked for the People for Peduto Mayoral campaign as a Field Leader. Later that year, Jay was hired as a Program Coordinator for the City of Pittsburgh's Department of Public Safety, launching the first African American Conservationists' Exhibit for the City of Pittsburgh's residents, especially minorities.
Mr. Carter continues to advocate for environmental policies that protects basic human rights and wildlife habitats. In 2013, Jay Carter wrote a powerful op-ed in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette titled, "Preserve the Power of America's Parks." On July 16, 2016, Mr. Carter spoke at the Pittsburgh Allegheny Commons in Pennsylvania for the "Let's Move" campaign launched by former, First Lady, Michelle Obama to encourage youth to explore the outdoors alongside Pittsburgh Parks Conservancy, CitiParks, S.C.A., Y.M.C.A. and Pittsburgh former Mayor Bill Peduto. In 2017, Carter became a certified TEFL teacher in China and in 2019, returned to the United States following the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak. He remains focused on the next chapter of his life as he makes Pittsburgh his home-base.
Live your truth, so you can live freely. ~Jay Carter