Jay Klein is not used to being the center of attention, but as Eugene’s most eligible bachelor, he’s getting plenty of it.
“I’ve been jabbed in the ribs so many times by friends and coworkers I can probably loosen a rib and make a girlfriend out of it,” Klein, associate director of development for the law school, said.
Klein was crowned with his title last week at a fundraising event put on by the Junior League of Eugene to raise money for A Caring Place and A Caring Response, both of which benefit foster children in Lane County.
“It was one of the most fun nights I’ve ever had,” said Klein.
The event was not only fun for the contestants, it also raised more than $25,000 in sponsorships and in-kind donations.
Contestants were given short interviews with judges, which included Eugene Mayor Kitty Piercy, former Mayor Jim Torrey and local television news anchors.
Emily Petty, assistant to the director of track and field for the athletic department, described the interviews as “kind of like speed dating, but with judges.”
Klein said he found common ground with the judges, which he thinks made him stand out.
“I got a panel of judges that I had enough in common with that I could talk about similar interests,” he said. “Of the six judges, I’m now talking to three of them in a professional capacity.”
Klein is currently working on alumni relations for the law school. “I guess I’m a professional fundraiser,” he said.
The road to the University’s law school led 33-year-old Klein to live in many areas of the country and hold several job titles.
Klein grew up in Cleveland, Ohio, leaving at age 18 to attend Ohio University in Athens, Ohio. Klein was an industrious student, studying abroad in both Mexico and Australia, and running a sales and marketing company with 70 employees based in West Virginia in between, all while completing two bachelor’s degrees. Klein holds a Bachelor of Arts in history with a focus on Soviet history and a Bachelor of Science in environmental geography.
“I never envisioned a permanent job with that company. I was just doing it for the business experience and the personal satisfaction of running a company at age 22 while a full time student,” Klein said.
After college, Klein moved to Chicago where he worked as a computer consultant for three years. Then he chose to pursue a law degree from the University, spending the majority of the next three years living in Eugene.
After obtaining his environmental law degree, Klein practiced law in Southern California working on a conservation habitat plan. But then he made a surprising switch: He went into baseball.
“I realized what a fan I was when I was in Australia and didn’t have access to it,” Klein said of his love for the sport. “It was something I always did with my dad.”
Klein took a pay cut to pursue a dream, quickly becoming the general manager for the Long Beach Armada, a minor league baseball team in California. It was this love of baseball that lead Klein back to Oregon.
“I really never thought I would leave baseball, and I tried to get in on baseball here,” he said. But he was offered the job in development and “I thought, ‘Man, I can’t turn this down, this is too good.’”
Klein gives credit to Athletic Director Pat Kilkenny for his return to Eugene. Kilkenny’s wife Stephanie, a member of the Junior League, was responsible for recruiting many of the University’s participants in the most eligible bachelor contest. The Junior League is an organization for women who are committed to serving their communities. While Klein wasn’t one of Stephanie Kilkenny’s recruits, she did sponsor him.
“There was a time when I didn’t think I would do it,” Klein said of the $250 sponsorship needed to participate. Klein has been in Eugene since October, and doesn’t know many people.
Stephanie Kilkenny has been a member of the Junior League for more than 10 years, and joined the Eugene branch when the Kilkennys moved to Eugene, she said in an e-mail.
“I looked around the athletic department at all the great people that I knew were single,” she said. “I got some funny looks when first recruiting them. Some thought it was a date auction and others were concerned about it being a pageant with on-stage questions and bathing suit competitions!”
Matt English, interim executive director for the Duck Athletic Fund, was one of Stephanie Kilkenny’s recruits.
“She promoted it as a charity event and thought I would be a valid contestant,” he said.
Klein admitted he thought English would be tough competition.
Volunteer activities were factored into the judging, as well as professional achievements. English volunteers at Calvary Fellowship in south Eugene teaching a class of 4- and 5-year-olds.
Klein also volunteers with children and is waiting for his first assignment with Eugene’s Big Brothers Big Sisters program. He also hopes to carve out time this summer to coach little league or a Babe Ruth League team.
Athletics are part of Klein’s daily routine as he spends several hours a week training for the Pacific Crest Half Iron Triathlon. Klein will run, swim and bike about 70 miles total this June.

Klein’s interests don’t stop there.
“I’ve got so many interests and hobbies, practicing law doesn’t let you pursue any of them,” he said.
Klein began playing the guitar as a sophomore in high school and while in college he played rhythm guitar for a band named Constipation.
“We stunk and we knew we weren’t going anywhere,” Klein said of the band’s name.
Regardless of never making it big, Klein’s interest in playing guitar hasn’t waned. He’s currently teaching a friend to play, and said he has enjoyed the experience. This has inspired him to offer his services for charity.
Klein would like to offer anyone a beginning guitar lesson for a $50 donation, half of which will go to the Junior League of Eugene and half will go to Klein’s other charitable fundraising interest, the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.
Klein’s motivation to have done so much already is his philosophy on life, he said.
“I don’t believe everything happens for a reason. And I don’t believe in fate. I believe I am an autonomous being responsible for my own actions and decisions,” Klein said. “Because I believe in this, I tend to be more proactive about taking control of every minute of my life, and filling every minute with life experience.”
Klein said he met a few singles at the Most Eligible event, and the offers have been pouring in through other means, so he may not be so eligible next year. Junior League of Eugene Communications Vice President Emily Clark said the contest was successful and the group plans to make it an annual event.
While it may seem Klein has no time for dating, he said he would make time for someone special. He has no pets and is planning to purchase a home in Eugene this year. He also stressed how approachable he is.
“I don’t bite,” he said.
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