Director of Community Programs
Jessie joins Safe Place for Youth with over 15 years of service to underserved individuals in the non-profit setting. Prior to his role as Director of Community Programs at SPY, he spent 10 years at MHMR of Tarrant County in Fort Worth, Texas, where he started as a qualified mental health professional and was promoted to Director of Crisis Services. There, he led many programs such as residential units, a mobile crisis team, refugee services, suicide prevention, and a 24-hour crisis hotline. Before that, Jessie worked at Denton State Supported Living Center, in Denton, Texas, a full-time living center dedicated to providing services to people with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
Jessie graduated from the University of North Texas in 2006 with a Bachelor of Science in Sociology and a minor in Psychology. Throughout his career, he has passionately served individuals in need, especially those in crisis situations. To broaden his impact, he now focuses on leadership and development of the employees he serves, program metrics and compliance, and process improvement. Through these methods, he hopes to lessen the effect of trauma on youth and significantly improve the problem of homelessness for these individuals.