Jay Carney leads Airbnb’s Global Policy, Communications, and Crisis Management teams. He also serves as the executive sponsor of Airbnb.org, a nonprofit that provides temporary housing for people displaced by disaster and conflict, and oversees Airbnb’s 21st Century Company team, which drives key initiatives around sustainability, anti-discrimination and other core values in service of Airbnb’s hosts, guests, and the public.
Prior to joining Airbnb, Jay established and led Amazon’s Global Corporate Affairs organization for seven years, overseeing public policy, communications, and community engagement, including investments in affordable housing, disaster response, and refugee relief. He joined Amazon from the White House, where he served as press secretary to President Obama from 2011 to 2014 and, before that, as director of communications for then-Vice President Joe Biden. Prior to entering government, Jay spent 20 years at TIME magazine, including as a Moscow-based foreign correspondent and later as Washington bureau chief.
In addition to his role on the board of Airbnb.org, Jay sits on the board of the Urban Institute, a research organization focused on housing and equity, as well as Human Rights First, which supports asylum-seekers and combats violent extremism and human rights abuses worldwide. He also serves on the board of Tech:NYC, the leading voice for the technology industry in New York City. Jay was raised in Virginia and earned a B.A. in Russian and East European Studies from Yale University, where he is also a member of Yale’s University Council. He lives in Northern Virginia.