Jay Ellenby, former ASTA chairman and current president of Safe Harbors Business Travel in Bel Air, Md., is running for office in Maryland.
Ellenby, a Republican, is seeking a seat in Maryland's House of Delegates, the lower house of the state legislature.
"I'm not happy with the representation here," Ellenby said. "I'm the kind of person that, if there's a problem, I like to go in and fix it."
He has five main focuses: business, education, safety, healthcare and infrastructure. All are interrelated, he said.
Business requires an educated workforce, and communities need to be safe to attract that workforce, Ellenby said. In turn, the workforce needs to be healthy -- Ellenby is focused on both physical and mental healthcare, which he called "critical today." Finally, he said, a workforce needs solid infrastructure, from roads to internet connectivity.
Ellenby credited his work with ASTA and the travel industry as part of the reason he's running for office.
"They gave me a taste of it," he said, noting that he has been on the other side, testifying before lawmakers.
Ellenby testified before the House Committee on Small Business early in the coronavirus crisis in March 2020. He told legislators that the crisis had been "the most difficult our agency has faced since 9/11," and asked for Small Business Administration loans to be made available.
Ellenby's first hurdle to office will be the June primary election, where he will face off against incumbent Republican delegate Susan McComas. If he wins, he will move on to the general election in November.
Ellenby is a U.S. Navy veteran, serving aboard the U.S.S. America where he worked in meteorology. He earned a bachelor's degree after his service from Widener University and joined Safe Harbors in 1990.