Opening Keynote

Jessica Specht | Director of the Dual Degree Program | Governors State University

Jessica Specht is the Director of the Dual Degree Program (DDP) at Governors State University. Prior to accepting the role of Director in 2017, Jessica was an Academic Advisor for DDP, serving seven community colleges in the Chicagoland region. Previous to her work in DDP, she served as a Career Counselor in GSU’s Office of Career Services, and spent her early career in K-12 education. Currently she is also the faculty advisor for the GSU chapter of Tau Sigma National Honor Society, serves on the Transfer Student Retention Committee, Commencement and Convocation Committees, and previously was an adjunct instructor for the undergraduate Psychology and Communication programs at GSU. Jessica possesses a M.A. in School Counseling from Governors State University, and a B.A. in Psychology with minors in Sociology and Philosophy from Purdue University-West Lafayette.

Closing Keynote

Jason J. Dorsette | Professional Lead, Men’s Development & Engagement | Oregon State University

Jason J. Dorsette is a native of North Carolina who now resides in Corvallis, Oregon. Jason is a PhD candidate in the College of Education Language, Educational Policy, and Equity program at Oregon State University. His research interest includes issues of access and equity in the context of higher education informed by race, gender, and the interconnectedness of other social identities. Jason has worked in higher education for over a decade and has proven track record of making positive impacts on the lives of students, faculty, staff, and community members that he interacts with. He currently works in the Educational Opportunities Program Educational as an associate director, serves as a faculty member in the College Student Service Administration (CSSA) graduate program, and serves as facilitator for the popular Black Minds Matter course all at Oregon State University.

Receiving his BA degree in History and Middle Grade Education and MS degree in Public Policy and Administration from North Carolina Central University—a Historical Black College & University (HBCU) Jason has served in leadership capacities regionally, nationally, and internationally in a number of higher education professional associations, as well as published and contributed to books and academic articles and journals.

Civically, Jason comes from a long family legacy of politically and socially involved relatives. Jason serves as the President of the NAACP Corvallis-Albany (Linn-Benton Counties) branch, board member for the City of Corvallis Imagine Corvallis Action Network (ICAN), and is Co-Founder of SoulForce Education—a non-profit organization that provides organizations with transformative learning experiences and activities designed to promote, explore, and implement diversity, equity, and inclusion tenets and principles ranging from the introduction of social change concepts and polices to specialized topics (e.g. implicit bias, racism, gendering, organizational culture and climate, etc.). During Jason’s spare time, which is rare, he likes to read academic journals and publications, talk about the Dallas Cowboys (his favorite NFL team), spend time with family and friends, travel and visit blogs focused on men’s social issues, wellness, and fashion. One of his guilty pleasures is getting lost for hours surfing YouTube.