Jay Propes is a political/strategic consultant and lobbyist with over three decades of public-affairs and governmental relations experience at the state and federal levels. After graduating from Baylor in 1990 (B.A., Political Science & Economics), Propes began his career on Capitol Hill working for his hometown Congressman, Ralph Hall, and moved to Austin in mid-1992. He served 8 years as Director of Governmental Affairs and Executive Director for the Texas Ophthalmological Association, representing nearly 900 of Texas' eye physicians and surgeons before the Texas Legislature, agencies, and the U.S. Congress.

Since 2000, Propes has represented a myriad of clients simultaneously in governmental relations, public affairs strategies, and crisis management across almost all business and professional sectors. For over twenty years, he has helped professional associations, affiliated interest groups and corporations assemble legislative and public affairs teams across the United States and coordinate their work across the geographies to develop consistent messaging and strategy to assist in their successes. He advises political action committees in their formation, governance, and operational effectiveness.

Propes is a partner in the public affairs firm Mercury, a subsidiary of Omnicom, with fifteen offices across the United States.

Jay lives in Austin with his wife and two teenage sons.