Jesse Beal joined the Spectrum Center in November 2021 as the Associate Director. Prior to arriving at the University of Michigan, they 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 a demonstrated history of working towards equity and inclusion in higher education with a practice that is collaborative, student-centered, 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. In this role, Jesse is responsible for external partnerships, including the Jed Foundation, the Council for the Advancement of Standards in Higher Education, NASPA, and ACPA. Jesse is a Ph.D. student in the MSU Higher, Adult, and Lifelong Education program studying LGBTQIA2S+ populations in higher education.
