Jesse was born and raised in St. Paul, MN...a city he wishes was still called Pigs Eye. After getting his rabble-rouser feet wet at Oberlin College, Jesse moved to Massachusetts to work as a Community Organizer for affordable housing in the city of Somerville. He is a proud resident of Cambridge, where he serves as chairman of the Cambridge Democratic City Committee. He is also the founder and chairman of A Better Cambridge, a group of residents committed to building a more diverse and dynamic community through sustainable growth.

Jesse has a Master's Degree in City Planning from the MIT Department of Urban Studies and Planning, and currently works at The Community Builders, a national non-profit affordable housing developer that builds and sustains strong communities where people of all incomes can achieve their full potential.