Jesse Garcia

On June 29, 2009, I got to visit the White House and meet President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama. On this day, the President commemorated the 40th Anniversary of the Stonewall Riots in New York City - the birth of the Modern Gay Rights Movement. I was one of 200 activists invited to participate.

Education & Career

Education

Hanna High School, Brownsville, Texas, HS Diploma, June 1989

Our Lady of the Lake University, San Antonio, Texas, BA Communications Arts, May 1994

St. Mary’s University, San Antonio, Texas, MA Communications Arts, May 1996

My grandmother Angelita and me on my graduation day. I was the first in my family to graduate from college.

Career

U.S. Air Force, Writer/Visual Information Specialist - Civil Service – Kelly Air Force Base, San Antonio, Texas, May 1996 – December 1999

U.S. Army, Public Affairs Specialist - Civil Service – Recruiting Battalion – Dallas Region, Irving, Texas, December 1999 – July 2000

Peace Corps, Public Affairs Specialist - Civil Service – Southwest Recruitment Office, Dallas, Texas, July 2000 – May 2005

U.S. Department of Agriculture, Public Affairs Specialist - Civil Service  – Dallas, Texas, May 2005 to July 2011

Administration for Children and Families - Health and Human Services - Special Assistant to the Director of Public Affairs - Washington, D.C., July 2011 to Present

Appointments & Positions 

Dallas County Historical Foundation

Board of Directors Secretary             

March 2011 to July 2011

In March 2011, I was appointed to the board of directors of Dallas County Historical Foundation. At my first meeting, I was elected secretary of the board. The foundation's sole purpose is to manage and oversee The Sixth Floor Museum at Dealey Plaza, which chronicles the assassination and legacy of President John F. Kennedy; interprets and supports the Dealey Plaza National Historical Landmark District and the John F. Kennedy Memorial Plaza; and presents contemporary culture within the context of presidential history. For more information, visit www.jfk.org.

AIDS Arms, Inc.

Board of Directors Secretary             

January 2009 to July 2011

In January 2009, I joined the board of directors of AIDS Arms. Within six months, I was elected secretary of the board. AIDS Arms’ mission is to combat HIV/AIDS in our community by improving the lives and health of individuals living with the disease and preventing its spread.  In 2009, AIDS Arms, Inc. served over 3,300 HIV impacted individuals and reached another 4,000 with prevention education, testing and behavior interventions.  Created in 1986, AAI has evolved its services into a comprehensive continuum of care that includes HIV prevention/testing, outpatient medical care, medication assistance, case management, substance abuse and mental health, and a telemedicine program within the Texas correctional system for HIV+ prisoners preparing for re-entry into Dallas County.  For more information, visit www.aidsarms.org.

League of United Latin American Citizens 

Council 4871 – The Dallas Rainbow Council              

President, December 2007 to July 2011

Member, June 2006 to Present

As a cofounder of the council, I have been there during its formation and eventual growth from 12 members in June 2006 to 76 members today. I have been officer of the organization since the beginning and I am currently serving my third term as president of the council. In July 2010, our council won "National LULAC Council of the  Year" at the LULAC National Convention in Albuquerque, N.M. The League of United Latin American Citizens is the oldest and largest Hispanic membership organization in the country. LULAC advances the economic conditions, educational attainment, political influence, health, housing and civil rights of Hispanic Americans through community-based programs operating at more than 700 LULAC councils nationwide. For more information, visit www.lulac4871.org.

National Stonewall Democrats                               

Board Member

May 2005 to April 2009

The National Stonewall Democrats (NSD) is the national voice for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Democrats. I represented the South Central Region of the United States. I was elected twice by my peers from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, Kansas, Iowa and Missouri to serve in this position.  NSD is a grassroots network connecting LGBT Democratic activists from Seattle, Washington to Austin, Texas to Little Rock, Arkansas to Atlanta, Georgia. With more than 90 chapters across the country, Stonewall is a grassroots force for social change within our movement and within our party. Our members do the hard work of calling voters, putting together campaign mailings, going door-to-door for our fair-minded candidates and having tough conversations with Democratic party officials about why our families need and deserve more support from our party and its elected officials. Stonewall is America's only grassroots Democratic LGBT organization. Fo more information, visit www.stonewalldemocrats.org.

Stonewall Democrats of Dallas                                    

Past President (2007-2008)                                                      

Member January 2000 to Present                                              

I have served as a board member, secretary and president of this Democratic organization. During my tenure as President from 2007 to 2008, I grew the organization from 250 paid members to nearly 400. I have personally registered nearly 1,000 people in Dallas’ Oak Lawn area in my 10 years with the organization - standing out the Crossroads (Cedar Springs and Throckmorton) every spring and summer before federal and municipal elections. I also volunteered on successful campaigns of Democratic officials who took office in 2004, 2006 and 2008. Stonewall Democrats of Dallas is an organization of politically active individuals working for the Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual, Transgender community in the city of Dallas and the state of Texas. For more information, visit www.stonewalldemocratsofdallas.org.

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Barack Obama for President                                  

Obama Pride National Co-Chair                              

July 2008 – November 2008                                         

The campaign of Barack Obama for President selected me as one of its five national co-chairs of Obama Pride, a national grassroots effort to bring out the LGBT vote during the 2008 presidential campaign.

Hillary Clinton for President                                         

National LGBT Steering Committee                        

August 2007-May 2008                                                

The campaign of Hillary Clinton for President included me on its National LGBT Steering Committee during the 2008 presidential primaries.

City of Dallas Permits License and Appeals Board

Board Member                                                                             

June 2006 – December 2008                                       

Appointed by Hon. Pauline Medrano of City Council District 2, I sat on a board that heard appeals from the denial, suspension or revocation of a license or permit issued by a city department. Appeals may be heard in a number of areas, including licenses or permits for animal shelters, billiard halls, busses and shuttles, dance halls, late-hour permits, sexually oriented businesses, food establishments, massage establishments, locational restriction exemptions, parks and water reservoirs, special events, taxicabs, and motor vehicle escorts.

Marshall Memorial Fellowship - European Program

Summer Fellow                                                                       

June 2006                                                                   

The fellowship provides a unique opportunity for emerging leaders from the United States and Europe to explore societies, institutions, and people on the other side of the Atlantic.  I traveled to Belgium, Bulgaria, France, Netherlands and Spain and met with local community leaders to discuss immigration, HIV/AIDS treatment and funding and same-sex marriage rights.