Jay Obernolte was born in Chicago, Illinois, in 1970.Obernolte graduated from Edison High School in 1988. He earned a bachelor's degree in engineering and applied science from the California Institute of Technology in 1992, a master's degree in artificial intelligence from the University of California at Los Angeles in 1997, and a doctorate in public administration from California Baptist University in 2020. Obernolte's career experience includes owning a video game development studio and working as a video game developer. He served on the Big Bear Lake, California, airport board of directors. Obernolte previously served on the city council of Big Bear Lake from 2010 to 2014, serving as mayor from 2012 to 2014, and served in the California State Assembly from 2014 to 2020.
