Originally from the state of South Carolina, Dr. Jesse R. Ford has been able to leverage his childhood upbringing as farmer with his parents to actively engage communities, students, organizations in the importance of hard work, dedication, and having difficult conversations.

Today, Dr. Jesse Ford is an Assistant Professor of Higher Education in the Department of Teacher Education and Higher Education at the University of North Carolina at Greensboro. In his role, Dr. Ford uses a theory to practice approach to educate and support students interested in serving as student affairs administrators across higher education and non-profit sectors. Dr. Ford’s research uses culturally responsive frameworks to explore the social and political influences of race and gender to tackle inequality in education, particularly within the socialization experiences of Black men who identity as students and faculty, across the P-20 pipeline. His scholarship has been featured in Education Sciences, About Campus, Journal of Appreciative Education, Journal of First-Generation Student Success, Education and Urban Society, and a host of other mediums. 

As an advocate of tempered social change, Dr. Ford is dedicated to advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion among organizational leadership and cultures in higher education, non-profits, and corporations. Prior to his role as an assistant professor, Dr. Ford served a Teaching and Research Assistant at Florida State University; as Assistant Director of Office of Multicultural Student Affairs and a Student Affairs Crisis Coordinator at the University of Miami; an Summer Orientation Graduate Assistant at North Carolina Central University; a National Pan-Hellenic Council Programming Board Advisor at the University of South Carolina; and Resident Scholar for Sigma Phi Epsilon Fraternity Program.

Throughout his journey, he has built an expansive knowledge and skill base related to diversity, equity and inclusion practices, curriculum development, teaching, training, conducting and business and institutional assessments, nonprofit evaluation, crisis management, strategic planning, marketing, branding, recruitment, and retention.

Dr. Ford is a member of Phi Beta Sigma, Fraternity, Inc. Dr. Ford holds a Ph.D. in Higher Education from Florida State University, as well as a master’s degree in Higher Education and Student Affairs from the University of South Carolina, a bachelor’s degree in history from Coastal Carolina University, and a certificate in Program Evaluation from Florida State University.