National President and CEO

Jay L. Knott

President and CEO of the American Association of Blacks in Energy

Jay L. Knott is a transformative executive with over 20 years of experience leading complex organizations through growth, innovation, and global impact. With a career spanning the private sector, federal government, and international nonprofits, Jay brings a rare blend of strategic vision, operational rigor, and cross-sector fluency to the C-suite.

As President of Metropolitan Group, Jay drove global client services, business development, and cultural transformation. Previously, as Chief Operating Officer of the Environmental Defense Fund, he led enterprise-wide operations across six global functions, enabling rapid international expansion and earning accolades for systems innovation and workplace excellence.

At Abt Associates, Jay served as Chief Business Officer, steering the company’s growth from $300M to over $700M in revenue and leading successful acquisitions in the U.S. and Australia. His leadership extended across 50+ countries, overseeing 1,600+ staff and pioneering strategic partnerships that elevated Abt’s global footprint.

Jay’s earlier tenure at USAID included roles as Mission Director in Jordan and Mozambique, where he managed billion-dollar portfolios and forged high-impact alliances with corporations like Microsoft and Roche.His legal career began at the U.S. Department of Justice as a Trial Attorney and evolved into senior counsel roles at USAID, shaping policy and legal frameworks across Africa and Latin America.

Educated at Yale (B.A.) and the University of Pennsylvania (J.D.), with executive management training from MIT, Jay is conversant in French, Spanish, and Portuguese. He serves on the boards of Results for Development and the Society for International Development, championing governance, financial management/audit compliance, equity, and institutional resilience.

Jay is a proven CEO-caliber leader—strategic, globally minded, and deeply committed to purpose-driven growth.

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