Jeanne Hess

About Jeanne Hess

Current Kalamazoo City Commission member and vice-mayor, elected November 7, 2023 to a second 4-year term.Retired volleyball coach at the NCAA Division level with 35 years of experience. Professor and Chair in the Department of Physical Education, with specialty in teaching health and wellness. Past experience in athletic administration, compliance, and fund raising. Author of Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games (Balboa Press, 2012) and MaxAbility: Who are You, and What are You Here For?(Amazon, 2019). Past experience as associate chaplain at the College fuels an interest in exploring the role of spirituality in sport and the role of sport in society. Availability as a speaker/panelist/officiant.Trained and certified as an instructor/trainer with Green Dot, a campus violence prevention program.International interests in volleyball include relationships with the Shanghai Volleyball Association; and creating a travel opportunity for the Kalamazoo College Volleyball Team to Shanghai in June 2009. Traveled to Costa Rica with the Kalamazoo College Volleyball team in June, 2012, where we connected with ICDS (International Center for Development Studies) and the San Jose Volleyball Club. Connected to the University of West Indies in St. Augustine, Trinidad through Kalamazoo College\'s Study Abroad program. Team travel to Capetown, South Africa in December 2018 with Kalamazoo College Volleyball and Men\'s Soccer Teams.Past Board Member of the American Volleyball Coaches Association (20••••08). Past board member of the University of Michigan Letterwinners M Club Board of Directors (20••••19).Current Advisory committee member for Discover Kalamazoo; City Commission liaison to the Environmental Concerns Committee. Member of the Executive Leadership Team for Go Red for Women, and 2024 campaign cabinet honorary co-chair for Community Homeworks. Member of the Kalamazoo Northside Ministerial Alliance and St. Thomas More Catholic Student Parish.Specialties: Athletic recruiting; Athletic fund raising and development, health education, motivational and inspirational speaker, ceremonial officiant. Interest in the role of spirituality and religion in the civic arena for greater understanding, unity and healing.AED & CPR certifications; QPR (suicide prevention) certification. Participant in each 8-week course in Just Faith\'s programs in Faith and Racial Understanding, Faith and Racial Healing, and Faith and Racial Justice. Participant in ERACCE (Eliminating Racism and Creating/Celebrating Equity) through Kalamazoo College and the City of Kalamazoo.

Experience

1. Author - Maxability who are you what are you here for

   Author

   Nov 2019 — Present

   This book, a layered blend of people, stories, philosophies, and raw personal experiences, takes the reader on a dizzying journey of self-discovery. Jeanne “covers all the bases,” by introducing us to a young man with dreams, a family’s grief over a deceased child, the complexities of foreign adoption, a tribute to a revered sports announcer, and her own challenges to define herself as a person apart from the roles she has played. Lastly, she allows the reader to revisit the concepts she presented and developed in her first book, Sportuality: Finding Joy in the Games with “time-outs” or reflections at critical points throughout the book. At any of these junctures, the reader may incorporate the narrative into their own life, reflecting on the “Who are you? What are you here for?” questions that Max presented to Jeanne when they first met.–With gratitude to Kim Petrucci, Community Advocate

Education

• Western Michigan University

  MA, Exercise Science/Holistic Health

  1983 — 1985

• University of Michigan

  Bachelor of Science - BS, Exercise Physiology

Skills

• Conflict Resolution
• Educational Leadership
• Program Evaluation
• Leadership Development
• Athletic Training
• Spss
• Academic Advising
• Volleyball
• Nonprofits
• Sports Management
• Research
• Volunteer Management
• Editing
• Admissions
• Coaching
• Qualitative Research
• Student Affairs
• Curriculum Design
• Critical Thinking
• Non-Profits
• Electric Vehicles
• Social Media
• Officiant
• Athletics
• Intercollegiate Athletics
• Higher Education
• Program Development
• Published Author
• Student Development
• Staff Development
• Event Management
• Public Health
• Curriculum Development
• Event Planning
• Sports
• Youth Development
• Social Networking
• Career Counseling
• Tutoring
• Grant Writing