January 2, 2023 | By Nick Pfost
Following a competitive national search, Jesse Beal has been chosen to lead the University of Michigan's Spectrum Center as its director. Beal, formerly the associate director of the center, had served as interim director following the promotion of Will Sherry to be Student Life's director of strategic initiatives. Their role was made permanent on December 1, 2022.
Prior to arriving at the University of Michigan, Jesse served as the director of The Gender and Sexuality Campus Center at Michigan State University. Jesse is an experienced student affairs practitioner, who brings over a decade of experience leading student-facing affinity-based resource centers at Amherst College, Brandeis University, Suffolk University, and MSU. They bring a demonstrated history of working towards equity and inclusion in higher education with a practice that is collaborative, student-centered, intersectional, and justice based.
Jesse has been a social justice and LGBTQIA2S+ activist, educator, and consultant for the past fifteen years. They present regularly at national conferences and at many colleges, universities, and nonprofits. Jesse serves as the external coordinator for the Consortium of Higher Education LGBTQ Resource Professionals, a member-based association working toward the liberation of LGBTQ people in higher education. Jesse is also a PhD student in the Michigan State University Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education (HALE) program studying LGBTQIA2S+ populations in higher education.
As the director of Spectrum Center, they will continue to provide campus-wide leadership on strategies to advance equity, and inclusion with regard to gender and sexuality. Jesse drives the strategic planning, sets unit goals, and oversees the operation of the center and our programs and services.