About Jay

Born and raised in Indiana, Jay Emberton joined the military directly out of high school. After an enlistment in the Navy, to include service during Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm, Jay attended Ball State University to obtain a degree in Geography. Further military service followed as both an enlisted Soldier and officer in the Army, with tours in both Iraq and Afghanistan.

Jay’s final duty assignment was an instructor position with the East Tennessee State University (ETSU) military science department as a Military Intelligence Captain. It was during this assignment that Jay discovered deep family ties to the region – his ancestors owned land in the Kendrick Creek, Fall Branch and Knob Creek areas in the 1790s, with ancestors buried at the Double Springs Baptist Church cemetery.

Upon retirement from the Army in 2016, Jay and his wife, Suzanne, chose to remain in the area. Jay started a successful home inspection business that has employed four residents from the area over the past six years. Jay also continues to serve the military as a government contractor teaching ROTC classes at ETSU.

In his free time, Jay enjoys woodworking and home improvement, working on and sailing the family sailboat, and working on his wife’s ’57 Chevy. Jay and Suzanne have six children and one grandchild.

Jay has served on the Washington County Democratic Party executive committee as the representative for District 7 and is currently running for a seat on the Johnson City city commission.