James “Jay” Savage

Born in Washington, D.C., Jay attended the University of Maryland before enlisting in the U.S. Army. During his service, he studied Japanese at the Defense Language Institute in Monterey, California, and subsequently spent two and a half years stationed in Tokyo. Following his military tenure, he pursued further education at Thunderbird Graduate School of International Management, now known as the International Business School at Arizona State University.

After completing his graduate studies, Jay began his professional career with FMC Corporation, where he was assigned to Manila and managed operations in Australia, New Zealand, Japan, and Korea. He later joined Plexchem International, an international chemical trading firm. Currently, Jay manages HMR Solutions, a company specializing in the importation and installation of security and communications equipment.

In addition to his professional endeavors, Jay has been deeply involved in the rugby union community, having served as secretary of the union for almost a decade, as well as a player and later a referee. He joined the Rotary Club of Makati in 1987, served as Club Secretary for a year, and has been in charge of the Books Across the Seas program for 30 years. Furthermore, Jay has been an active member of Democrats Abroad for nearly a decade and has served as its Chair for the past three years.