Jacob Palalay

Communications Specialist

Jacob is a communications specialist at PathNorth where he helps maintain our brand and messaging standards, provides event support, and oversees printed collateral. He officially joined the team in 2023 after several years of contract work with PathNorth via G.Rickey, LLC, the leadership communications firm he founded in 2019 with his fiancé Seth Kwiecien.

Jacob has over a decade of experience in communications, including staffing eight political campaigns, and five+ years with foundations and national nonprofits where he specialized in community relations and corporate sponsorships. He is currently a member of the Public Relations Society of America (National Capital Chapter).

Jacob was proudly born and raised in the Norfolk-Virginia Beach area. He graduated from Bob Jones University in Greenville, S.C., with his B.A. in journalism & mass communications and minor in graphic design. Jacob and Seth are based in Washington, DC, but can be found antiquing their way through rural Virginia and Pennsylvania on weekends. They are self-appointed ambassadors for Virginia wine. His additional skillsets include curating the perfect playlist for any occasion and making authentic eastern Carolina pulled-pork barbecue.

What is something about you that would surprise others?
I completed kindergarten and first grade in Okinawa, Japan, where the Air Force stationed my father from 1992-1996.

What is one of your favorite travel experiences?
Seth and I once rented a car in Marseille, France, then took a multiday roadtrip through the South of France before spending a few days in Paris. I highly recommend it. It was the most romantic and leisurely way to take in as much French culture, food and history as possible.

What is your favorite PathNorth memory?
That's a toss-up between two: I have fond memories of a very fun nightcap in Charleston, SC, at my first Annual Gathering in 2017 ... or sprinting through congested Midtown Manhattan with the Moores and Butzes in order to make curtain call for "Little Shop of Horrors" during the 2021 Broadway trip.