Behind the Desk with Jesse Griffin

Meet Jesse Griffin, Parent Educator with Champions’ Parents as Teachers program. This home visiting program promotes healthy development, school readiness, support for the parent-child relationship, and family well-being for children and families, prenatal through kindergarten.
As a Parent Educator, he provides families with support and skills to work, play and read directly with their children so they can reach their full potential, both developmentally and emotionally.

Let’s Get to Know Jesse!

Tell us about yourself.

I am born and raised in Tampa. I pursued Early Childhood Education at USF for a while before taking a break and switching to Psychology and minoring in Sociology. I really like sports, music, art, exercise, and spending time with friends and family. I like dogs, especially my dog Stella. I also really like diversity, being around, and connecting with people of different backgrounds. I also prefer to live and be somewhere rather close to the ocean or sea. I start to feel a little weird when I am inland for too long.

When you have 30 minutes of free time, how do you pass the time?

Play my guitar or read something on the internet regarding sports or geo-politics. Or take a quick cat-nap.

What’s something most people don’t know about you?

Probably that I like Sumo Wrestling

What three traits do you feel define you and why?

Adaptable, Humorous, and Charismatic

I feel like my life experiences have sort of forced me to be adaptable in terms of being comfortable with change and new environments. I see humor as a way of connecting with people, lightening the mood, and sometimes as a means of self-entertainment. I feel like I am charismatic because I am passionate about connecting with people and am comfortable being in the limelight when required or asked to be, so to speak.

What would you do (for a career) if you weren’t doing this?

Not sure I could pick one… I would like to have Talk Show with a variety of guests and topics including sports, art, politics, and so on. Or be a Sports Play-By-Play Commentator. Or be a Rock Star. Or a couple of other things… Career choice has always been rather complicated for me.

You’ve worked within two programs here at Champions. Our Great We Grow program and now our Parents as Teachers program. What satisfies you the most about your current position?

I really like being able to connect with and support parents regarding parenting, life, or concerns with their children. I also like to connect with and have fun with young children.

What’s your favorite thing about working with Champions?

The support we get from our leadership and the Organization’s genuine commitment to building stronger families in our community.

With a career at Champions for Children, you too can make an impact in the Tampa Bay community! Click here to learn more about our current job openings and application process: https://cfctb.org/about/careers/