Jesse

Jesse Leon is the award-winning bilingual author of I’m Not Broken and No Estoy Roto, published by Penguin Random House. I’m Not Broken chronicles Jesse’s extraordinary journey to reclaim his life, culminating in his graduation from Harvard University after overcoming the horrors of human trafficking and homelessness. The memoir serves as an inspirational testament to the indomitable strength and resilience of one young man who defied all odds to survive and thrive.

 

Jesse Leon is a TEDx and motivational speaker, certified executive coach, and recipient of the Lambda Literary Award and International Latino Book Award. As the president of Alliance Way, a consulting firm, Jesse assists foundations, impact investors, real estate developers, and governments in creating impactful programs and investment strategies in areas such as affordable housing, education, substance abuse, mental health access, and human trafficking.

 

In addition to his consultancy work, Jesse conducts specialized trainings and workshops on human trafficking, with a particular focus on male survivors. His trainings emphasize culturally competent approaches, practical strategies for supporting survivors, and effective collaboration between service providers, law enforcement, and community agencies. These sessions are designed to meet specific course objectives, ensuring participants leave with actionable insights and a deeper understanding of the complexities surrounding human trafficking. Jesse was recently awarded the prestigious Rockefeller Foundation's Bellagio Residency Program, where he lived in Bellagio, Italy for one month and began creating a culturally informed blueprint to assist often overlooked sex trafficking survivors, particularly Latino and Indigenous-identified boys, men, and members of LGBTQ+ communities, to realize their dreams and contribute positively to society.

 

Jesse holds a Master’s Degree in Public Policy from Harvard University’s John F. Kennedy School of Government, a Bachelor’s Degree from the University of California at Berkeley, and a post-graduate fellowship from the University of Pennsylvania. Jesse is fluent in Spanish and Portuguese.