Jim Fay grew up among the Lakota People of South Dakota where his father served as an Episcopal Priest. He graduated from the University of Montana with a degree in Social Work. While attending University, he spent a summer study at the State Hospital and joined University Year for ACTION for a year and worked an internship with the Juvenile Probation Department in Anaconda. He completed his Social Work Practicum with the Office of Developmental Disabilities in Spokane, WA.

After Graduation, he was hired as a Social Worker in the Deer Lodge Co. Department of Public Welfare working in Adult Service. During this time he met his future wife, MaryLynn Fay, who was working at the local Head Start Program. They married in 1977 and the next year he took a job in Deer Lodge with the Powell Co. DPW as a Child Welfare Worker plus adult services for both Powell and Granite Counties. After the Anaconda Smelter shut down in 1980, Jim returned to that town to provide his help, and a job was created for him at the Welfare Department.

In 1985 Jim became the County Director of Human Services in Silver Bow County. He worked there for 14 years implementing welfare reform in 1995 during the Clinton Administration (Gov. Raciot in MT). Jim is proud to have worked with Action Inc. in starting Homeward Bound and Continental Gardens during that time. In 1999, he returned to Anaconda as director for the tri-county area and also started Graduate School with UM and earned a Master of Public Administration. In 2001, Jim was appointed Regional Manager with the Public Assistance Bureau and supervised 27 counties across the state in that time. He was also elected to the Counsel of Commissioners in 2004 and served through 2008. Jim retired from the state at the end of 2010 with 35 years of service.

In retirement, Jim has worked at the State Hospital as a social worker, Aging Services as a SHIP (Medicare) Counselor and as a Treatment Tech at the Montana Chemical Dependency Center. Jim loves working around the house and in the yard, hiking and walking, biking and cross country skiing in the winter and travelling the west with his wife, MaryLynn, in their teardrop camper. They are both devoted to their faith and serve in their church congregation, St. John’s Episcopal in Butte. Jim has been sober since January 30, 1980 and they have a spiritual scripture centered 12 step group they lead at the church.