Jay Kaufman

Jay Kaufman is a technical director in Winrock’s Agriculture, Resilience & Water group. He has over two decades of experience in addressing poverty and food insecurity in farming communities worldwide. A Massachusetts native, he grew up in the fresh produce industry, starting his ag career at a young age in the family wholesale fruits and vegetables business, where he worked through college. Kaufman has worked previously with Chemonics, supporting agribusiness development programs in Asia, and at Fintrac, where he served as senior vice president of field operations, focusing on building farm-to-market linkages for smallholder producers in East Africa, Central America and the Caribbean, and Asia. Prior to joining Winrock, he served as a volunteer and board member in the philanthropy world, putting his aid experience to use in the design and award of journalism education grants to universities and nongovernmental organizations. Kaufman graduated from Brandeis University with degrees in Spanish and international relations and has a master’s in international affairs from George Washington University.