Jesse Chen grew up in Monmouth County, New Jersey as the son of a Chinese immigrant father and seventh-generation Irish mother. Jesse has a strong record of leadership and community service that spans from his days in high school through college to the working world.

In high school, Jesse served on the Board of Education as a sophomore and would later serve as the president of the Student Council, the Drama Club, the Computer Club, and the National Honors Society simultaneously during his senior year. As the student body president, he delivered the commencement address in 2004. He volunteered as a youth soccer coach and as a community technology coach, teaching Microsoft Office 97 to adults in the local community before he had graduated high school.

Jesse's strong passion for civic engagement and interest in student government continued into college. He attended the University of Maryland's Smith School of Business where he graduated with a double-major in Information Systems and Operations Management and a concentration in Total Quality Management in 2008. At College Park, he served as the Public Relations officer of the campus-wide Residence Hall Association as a freshman earning him the Rookie of the Year award and as Chief Information Officer as a sophomore.

Jesse became the youngest president of the business school student government in its history and the only student to serve in that role for two terms. He was awarded with the Dean's Leadership Award of 2008 and the Graduate of Distinction of 2008 for his contributions to the Smith community, including leading a successful effort to double school-wide student involvement in just two years. He served on several campus-wide leadership posts including Vice President of the honors society Omicron Delta Kappa, the President's Student Advisory Council, the Provost's Student Advisory Council, and the College Park Scholars Student Advisory Council. His numerous contributions to campus resulted in the high honor of receiving the coveted Spirit of Maryland (Homecoming King) award of 2008 and induction to the Maryland Medallion Society. He remains an avid Terps fan and supporter of the Maryland community.

Jesse's accomplishments and contributions to Maryland and his local community led him to a position with a top-tier management consulting firm. He currently volunteers with the hunger-relief non-profit Move for Hunger.