Jaime A. Molera is a founding partner of Molera Alvarez, a government relations and public affairs firm based in Phoenix, Arizona. Molera Alvarez is viewed by Arizona Business Magazine, the Phoenix Business Journal, and the Arizona Republic, as one of the top lobbying firms in the state. Mr. Molera is involved with a myriad of business and community entities throughout Arizona and is viewed as leader in education and business policy development.
Mr. Molera held a variety of high-level state positions; among these were Arizona’s Superintendent of Public Instruction (2001-2003) and top advisor on policy and legislative affairs to Governor Jane Dee Hull (1997-2001). In 2008, Mr. Molera was appointed to the State Board of Education by Governor Janet Napolitano. Governor Jan Brewer reappointed Mr. Molera to the State Board where his colleagues voted him in as President of the Board for two-terms.
Among his many accomplishments, Mr. Molera led the charge for Proposition 301, overseeing a multi-million dollar initiative, as Campaign Director, to bring Arizona out of the national basement in education funding through new-dedicated resources (now over half billion dollars per year) for K-12, Community College, and University education. He also oversaw the legislative effort to help secure the funding (near half billion dollars in the construction financing) necessary to expand the University of Arizona’s College of Medicine in Phoenix.
Mr. Molera was successful when he led the high-profile Restoring Arizona coalition (composed of leading business and health care organizations) – to expand Arizona’s Medicaid population and allow the state to draw-down over $1.2 billion in new federal funding: One of the few GOP controlled states to do so.
In addition, Mr. Molera served as a senior consultant and spokesperson to U.S. Senator Jon Kyl’s successful ‘06 re-election campaign. Moreover, Mr. Molera appeared on numerous national and local television, radio and print media news outlets, including the Lehrer Newshour, The New York Times, Wall Street Journal, and National Public Radio. Mr. Molera also hosted a weekly TV political talk-show for two seasons on the CW Network (2015-2017) “Politics in the Yard.”
The Phoenix Business Journal recognized Mr. Molera in November, 2006 as one of the fifty most influential leaders in Arizona, in 2012 as one of their Most Admired CEO’S & Top Level Executives, and in 2017 one of the 20 Names to Know in Education. In 2021, the Business Journal selected him to their “Hall of Fame, of 40 under 40 recipients (an award he won in 2002). He also was selected by Hispanic Business Magazine as one of the top 100 Hispanic leaders in the United States.