Jesse Gomez has held various community oriented roles and continues to dedicate his time to those whom he serves. He currently holds three positions that have positively affected his and many others outlooks locally and abroad.
“Being the School Board President of East Chicago has allowed me to take on many great responsibilities and also put my Organizational Management degree from Calumet College to work. I have learned and actively use knowledge on how institutions strive and the protocols and procedures are needed to keep them running at a healthy capacity. In each position I have or have had, these skills always follow me,” Gomez said.
As East Chicago’s School Board President, Gomez is in charge of setting up meeting agendas, communicating with the interim superintendent, Bill Gall, and overseeing the networking of those involved in the community education administration. In addition to his Presidential position, he is also the Vice-Chairman of the East Chicago Democratic Precinct Organization. In that position he helps by setting up elections, registering individuals to vote, promoting Get Out to Vote (G.O.T.V.), and actively fundraising for their cause. Furthermore, he is a full-time Safety Specialist in charge of leading employee safety programs at U.S. Department of Defense contractor Northrop Grumman, Inc. He also previously served two terms as East Chicago City Councilman.
“The East Chicago community is wonderful and I love being involved in all the good happening within and around our area. Assisting various service organizations has been very positive for me. We should all leave this world better than how we found it and sometimes a good job and a strong, helpful and useful hand is all it takes,” Gomez said.
He would like to add that rewards such as this should not be financial or ego centered - knowing you have done your utmost for someone else is the best reward.
He is grateful to be born and raised in East Chicago. The experience has opened a lot of important doors for him and for the School City of East Chicago as well. Gomez is the first President of the newly elected nine-member School Board. He was elected by voters of the 5th District which houses Lincoln Elementary School.
“Working intimately with Nancy Sharp (Principal at Lincoln Elementary School) has been wonderful. She and I definitely have a long, deep and intense shared passion. And though Lincoln Elementary is in my district, I do make sure to involve myself with everything that goes on in all of our schools,” Gomez said. He went on to say, “I believe in the saying ‘evil prospers when good men do nothing’ because without overcoming the challenges in all of our lives, things will always get worse; I’m trained to do the best job that I can and I will not stop until I achieve that goal”.
So in a time where everyone wants “scholastic sanity,” Gomez has stepped up as President and thwarted all of the chaos, distrust, and disgust thought to reside on the School Board. Using honest effort to right wrongdoings, everyone on the School Board was then allowed to move forward in a positive manner.
“It’s really the involvement of the parents, teachers, and administration that helps our schools to succeed. Our preliminary test scores this year indicate that there is a strong and positive growth in our School District. The people I previously mentioned have made excellent strides to get us to where we are now; by making the School City of East Chicago strong, we make East Chicago strong. My ‘honey-do’ list of school improvements never ends,” Gomez said.
In closing, Gomez called for community action: “Stay positive, get involved, and promote East Chicago; there are a lot of great people and positive vibes found throughout the city. If others see positive action, then everyone would feel satisfied about their community, city, neighborhood, each other, and themselves. Keeping a positive attitude helps your mental attitude and thus is a key need, hope, and desire for every community.”