James J. Preston BS'98

Jay Preston is a Partner in Ernst & Young’s Assurance Services practice and has fifteen years of experience with the firm. He has led the audits of several Fortune 500 companies with large international operations and also has experience serving private equity and venture capital backed growth companies. Jay is a member of Ernst & Young’s Life Sciences Sector and has been involved leading discussions around technical accounting issues with member of the sector across the Pharmaceutical, Biotech and Medtech industries.

Jay has served a variety of clients over the past fifteen years, including Eli Lilly and Company, Simon Property Group, Great Lakes Chemical Corporation, Brightpoint, Berry Plastics (Apollo Management Portfolio Company), Endocyte and Aprimo in addition to various private companies.

Jay has extensive experience consulting with his clients in a variety of different areas including: business development transactions such as acquisitions, collaboration arrangements, joint ventures, common control mergers, dividend recapitalizations and leveraged buyout transactions, restructuring, stock compensation, debt transactions and variable interest entities. Jay also has significant experience working with public reporting and SEC filings under both the 1933 and 1934 Act requirements. He has been involved with initial public offerings, acquisition audits, working capital audits, bond offerings and carve out audits and has also helped lead financial due diligence projects for prospective acquisitions for his clients.

Jay is a 1998 graduate of the Kelley School of Business at Indiana University with a Bachelor of Science degree in Accounting and Marketing. Jay currently serves as the Campus Coordinating Partner for recruiting at Indiana University, is a member of the Kelley School Accounting Advisory Board and is member of the board of directors of the Kelley School of Business Alumni Association. Jay also was instrumental in the funding of the Ernst & Young Foundations in Leadership Program to assist the Kelley School with their diversity and inclusiveness initiatives.

Jay is currently involved in several initiatives within Ernst & Young including the Entrepreneur of the Year program, leading education sessions, counseling and other office initiatives. Jay has been involved in various philanthropic activities in the Indianapolis community, and currently serves as the President of the Finance Council of St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church and coaches youth sports. He is a CPA in Indiana and a member of the AICPA and Indiana CPA Society. Jay and his wife Sara (BS’99) live in Carmel, Indiana, with their four children, Luke, Will, Kelsey & Tommy.