Jay L. Knott served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer of the Environmental Defense Fund (EDF) until September 2023. In this role he led all of EDF’s global operational infrastructure functions, including Finance & Audit; Human Resources & Diversity; IT & Data Science; Legal & Compliance; and Corporate Services & Facilities. He previously served as Chief Business Officer at Abt Associates, overseeing all of the company’s business operations, including its wholly owned subsidiaries, Abt Associates-Australia and Abt Britain. He was a member of the Leadership Committee. Mr. Knott also serves on the Board of Directors of the Society for International Development, United States Chapter (SID-US). Before joining Abt Associates, Knott was the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) Mission Director in Jordan, leading one of the largest U.S. economic assistance programs in the world. During early 2010, Knott served as Acting Assistant Administrator for Legislative and Public Affairs. Jay Knott also served as USAID Mission Director in Mozambique, one of the largest US assistance programs in Africa. He joined USAID in 1988 and worked in a number of leadership roles in Latin America, Africa, and the Middle East. Prior to joining USAID, Knott worked as an attorney at the U.S. Department of Justice focusing on the enforcement of U.S. environmental laws. He was also an attorney at the private firm Fox, Weinberg, and Bennett, where he worked on issues related to the environment and food and drug law. Knott received his B.A. from Yale University in Political Economy and African Studies, and his J.D. from the University of Pennsylvania.
Expertise/Skills: Capacity building * Program management * Policy analysis * Economic Development *
Languages: French, Spanish, Portuguese