Senior Leadership
the values they instilled in me from a very young age and my first jobs on dairy farms , baling hay and milking cows . At 13 , I learned that I could push myself to stack one more load of hay on a long , hot , dusty summer afternoon . At age 16 , I vividly recall struggling to get machinery running on a farm at 5 a . m . when the temperature dipped to 25 degrees below zero .
Despite the daily hard work ( and , indeed , because of it ), I enjoyed a happy childhood , supported by abundant family love and Christian values . Church was a cornerstone of our weekly routines , and my pastors provided guidance that anchors me still . Dad and Mom modeled true Christianity , demonstrating compassion , kindness , honesty , initiative , industry , discipline and joy . Their actions spoke as loudly as their words .
Senior Leadership
• VP for University Relations and Advancement , Texas A & M University- San Antonio ( TAMUSA ), 2022-2023 .
• VP for Advancement and External Relations , University of Houston-Victoria ( UHV ), 2015-2022 .
ORU broadened my worldview as I got acquainted with professors and other students from diverse backgrounds . From the moment I set foot on campus , I never wanted to leave education . I am both a lifelong learner and educator .
Throughout my undergraduate years , I worked 20-40 hours weekly in the university ’ s dining services , increasing my level of responsibility until I managed dozens of cafeteria staff during evenings and on weekends . I also worked as a writer , news editor and managing editor for the university ’ s weekly newspaper . In student leadership , I served first as a chaplain , then head chaplain . One week after graduating in May 1996 , I married the love of my life , Nayeli Martinez Estrada , whom I had met when she was an English language immersion student at ORU . Shortly thereafter , I accepted a full-time position as Assistant Director of Public Relations at my alma mater . My early professional jobs provided an education outside the classroom , especially with Tim Philley and Lynette Lewis , who modeled exemplary management practices .
Your undergraduate alma mater is Oral Roberts University ( ORU ) in Tulsa , Oklahoma , where you earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in history and a Master of Education in school administration . Why did you choose ORU ?
Everything changed for me in the summer of 1992 , after I graduated from high school and was offered a four-year , full tuition and fees scholarship at ORU . The tremendous blessing of that donor-funded scholarship , combined with my disciplined upbringing , led to graduation in May 1996 with a history major , a variety of honors , and invaluable work experience .
Jesse as a child tending to his pig
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