Jay Wachtel has been an educator and leader at Naperville North High School since 2002. Since 2024, Jay has served in the role of Principal. Over the years, he has served as a Business teacher, Career and Technical Education Department Chair, and Assistant Principal of Operations. Prior to joining Naperville North, Jay taught at Hinkley High School in Aurora, Colorado, and Libertyville High School in the northern suburbs of Chicago.

Jay holds a B.A. in Marketing and a B.A. in Business Education from Illinois State University, an M.A. in Educational Leadership from Northern Illinois University, and an M.A. in Global Studies in Education from the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

He and his wife, Jen, live in Naperville, where they raised two proud Naperville North graduates, Megan and Jack. Outside of school, Jay enjoys bike riding and spending time in downtown Chicago.