Jesse Herrera discusses growing up in Fort Worth, TX, joining a gang and how he pivoted his life to get his degree in architecture and starting a nonprofit that addresses college student home and food insecurity.
Wine: Tisdale Pinot Grigio of California
BIO:
Jesse Herrera is the Founder & Executive Director of CoAct and an expert in using design methodologies to develop multi-faceted approaches to solve complex problems.
A native of Fort Worth, Texas, he spent his teenage years as a gang member. After a near death experience and a blessing of circumstances, he left the life behind and pursued his education, becoming the first in his family to graduate from college. As a former gang member, he witnessed the impact of social isolation and the value of understanding the intamacy of human challenges.
Graduating with an architecture degree from the University of Texas at Arlington, Jesse spent a much of his professional career practicing design and project management in the development industry. With a depth of knowledge spanning the design-build frontier, Jesse realized the profession has a limited ability to directly foster social impact. Hindered by economics, design was relgated to the clients will, and not the communities need. This realization kicked off a series of global trips to discover the primacy of human solutions. These insights in addition to his life experience help form the foundation of his work.
Jesse utilizes design as an instrumental force to better understand the underlining causes of today’s challenges and build better solutions. It is a tool to charter impact and build a more creative and inclusive future for all.