Bio of Jay Rollins

Married to Nancy. Children: Jaymie 23, Lindsay 22, Jeff 19, Ryan 18, Mary 15, Michael 13, Jennifer 9. We have two married children (the source of our grandkids), another on a mission, one at BYU, and three still at home. Of course my kids (and grandkids) are more accomplished, intelligent, and better looking than anybody else's. After all, they take after their mother.

My Church callings have been numerous and varied. My favorite calling has been that of patriarch (of my home). I have a BA in International Relations (Spanish minor) and an MBA in Finance. All my schooling was at BYU. The most important thing I gained from BYU was a pretty blonde coed from California who, for some reason, agreed to marry me.

After leaving BYU we moved to SLC where I worked in the Finance & Records Dept. of the (great and spacious) Church Office Building (’83-’ 86). I then left the Church (at least as an employer) and was hired by Snowbird Ski & Summer Resort as Budget Director (’86-’89). After three glorious years of free skiing (we called it ‘testing the product’), I joined the U. S. Agency for International Development (USAID) as a Foreign Service Officer (’89-present). We have spent nine of the last fourteen years living and working overseas, principally in the Middle East and Africa. Included is a family picture we had taken during our stay in Egypt. While in Cairo, we had the pleasure of hosting President and Sister Muren for a few days when they passed through on Church business.

We are currently in South Africa where I serve as the Regional Inspector General. I manage a small office that provides audit and investigative oversight of U.S. foreign assistance in over 20 countries in southern and eastern Africa.

Although I vaguely remember topping the hill a few years ago, I can still put fear in the eyes of my kids when competing with them in basketball, volleyball, and other sports (they claim the fear comes from my short-shorts rather than my athletic abilities). Since moving to South Africa, I have also developed an increasing interest in rugby, squash, and cricket. My community involvement has pretty much been limited to exploring ways to avoid paying state and local taxes while living overseas.

As far as memory serves, my missionary companions included (not necessarily in this order): Dave Winkler, Mark Bailey, Orville Rice, Allen Strong, Alan Clawson, Michael Carter, Bruce Call, Koki Solano, Ray Bence, Dan Olsen, Gerry Sanders, Chris Siebach, James Washburn, Tim Wilson, Joel Hatch, Bryan Mecham. (Sorry if I missed anybody). Areas I served in included: Managua & Granada in Nicaragua; San Pete, Comayaguela, & Tegucigalpa in Honduras; San Jose & Alajuela in Costa Rica; and the Canal Zone in Panama.

One of my more memorable mission stories was rushing the Murens to the airport early one morning and having Sister Muren notice that I wasn't wearing any socks. The reason was that the designated driver slept in and I had to fill in without enough time to get fully dressed. There was also a memorable P-day we spent "skiing" down a hill of sawdust on homemade skis. Oh yeah, I also remember many of the wonderful people we taught and baptized, including a deaf kid in Nicaragua, the Lopez family in Honduras, and the Roberts family in Panama (they actually named one of their sons after us).

I credit my missionary experiences for setting much of the spiritual foundation upon which the rest of my life has been based. The mission field was also where I caught the overseas "bug" (along with various other parasites) that instilled in me a desire to travel to other parts of the world and assist in the development of under-privileged people. In short, I can't think of any better way I could have spent those two years of my life.