Jay Hennessey…People Matter

For Jay Hennessey, making genuine human connections was and is always the key to success: finding interesting people, learning from them, and developing relationships — lifelong relationships — opened doors to other people and opportunities. “I had a deliberate approach about meeting interesting people, asking them questions about how they got to where they are. What do you love about your job?” One of these people was Daniel Coyle, the author of Talent Code, and Culture Code,

who then introduced Jay to Chris Antonetti, the Cleveland Guardians President of Baseball Operations. In 2017, when Jay retired, Chris asked him to become the Cleveland Guardian’s Vice President of Learning and Development.

Jay’s Navy journey began at Villanova University’s NROTC program. “My Dad was a pipe fitter, and the Navy was a way to put me through school. I was very lucky to get one of the ten SEAL billets.” Jay graduated May 1992 and by the end of the month he checked on board at BUD/S Class 185. As part of Boat Crew One, he developed strong bonds. “I was part of an amazing group of guys. When it got really hard, we all pulled together. That’s how we all made it through.”