Jesse Bethke Gomez

Jesse Bethke Gomez is the Executive Director & CEO at METROPOLITAN CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING. Jesse has over 25 years of experience in senior leadership positions in the public and nonprofit sectors.

Jesse Bethke Gomez began their career in 1991 as the Director of Financial Development for the American Red Cross, Greater Minneapolis Area Chapter. In 1995, they became the President of Comunidades Latinas Unidas En Servicio CLUES. Jesse served in this role for 17 years until 2012 when they became the Vice President, University Planning and Advancement, and Executive Director of the MSU Foundation at Metropolitan State University. In 2014, they were promoted to Chief Strategy Officer by President Sue K. Hammersmith.

In their current role as Executive Director & CEO at METROPOLITAN CENTER FOR INDEPENDENT LIVING, Jesse Bethke Gomez is responsible for leading the organization in its mission to promote independence for people with disabilities. Under their leadership, the organization has provided housing, employment, and other services to thousands of people with disabilities in the Minneapolis area.

Jesse Bethke Gomez has a certificate of completion from the Minnesota Executive Program for Advanced Strategic Leadership at the Curtis L. Carlson School of Management at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Jesse also has a certificate of achievement from the National Kellogg Fellow, Emerging Leaders in Public Health program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill School of Public Health in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. In addition, they have a Master of Management and Administration degree from Metropolitan State University in St. Paul, Minnesota with a thesis entitled "The Development and Implementation of a Strategic Planning System." Finally, they have a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis, Minnesota with double majors in Sociology of Law and Chicano Studies.

Some direct reports include Cindy Tarshish - Director, ADA Minnesota, Nicolette Evan - Director, HR & Interim Director, Home Based Services, and Kelly Krantz - Director, Independent Living.