Demonstrated Business Leadership –
Jay Ledbetter has worked for his entire life in the private sector, with the exception of his time serving as a District Attorney, and his military service. In High School, Jay worked in the oil fields as a laborer. Jay’s demonstrated leadership carried him upward until he eventually became the Vice President of a small oil production company.
Following his legal education, Jay was hired as a Deputy District Attorney, where he prosecuted cases from traffic matters to murder. After serving as a District Attorney, Jay was recruited by Zola Levitt Ministries to become the General Counsel. There, Jay worked closely with Mr. Levitt in running the day-to-day operations of the Ministry. Jay also established and ran the division which conducted tours to the Bible lands. Jay’s management expertise in this non-profit international ministry helped him focus on active service to the community while staying within a tight budget.
Jay founded a law firm in Littleton in 1986, based on the ethical and fair representation of individuals and businesses alike. Jay recruited hard-working, ethical, honest attorneys to work with him, and his firm grew to a medium-sized firm. Jay was selected by the American Business Women as “Employer of the Year”.
Today, Jay manages a multi-million dollar family trust. Jay has brought together a consortium of landowners which will this year build one of the largest wind energy projects in the nation.
Demonstrated Military Leadership –
Jay’s military service began during Viet Nam. Jay was in the US Air Force. After Jay was discharged from the Air Force in 1972, Jay was recruited to be part of a clandestine special operations team under the umbrella of the CIA to rescue American POWs in Viet Nam. The team was made of former members of the 5th Special Forces Group – one of whom was awarded the Congressional Medal of Honor. This mission was scrubbed, but formed the basis for a movie, Uncommon Valor. After the war, Jay finished his professional legal education and then was commissioned as an officer in the US Army. Jay’s first Army assignment was with Special Forces (Green Berets) where he was an A-team Executive Officer. Jay’s next assignments were with the Infantry, where he was a Rifle Platoon Leader, Company Executive Officer, Assistant Battalion Operations Officer, Battalion Intelligence Officer, and Battalion Logistics Officer. Jay was selected to serve on a special team with the Military Assistance Command, and was stationed in Central America, under the umbrella of the US Embassy there. There he taught a nation’s senior officers how to conduct counter-guerilla operations. Jay was deployed overseas during Desert Storm in a unit that was the Theater Commander’s Quick Reaction Force. After the war, Jay was selected to serve as the Deputy Chief of Ground Operations for Special Operations Command, Joint Forces Command, where Jay finished his military career.
