GeoFORCE Staff
Dr. Jessica Bent – Program Director
Dr. Bent is an educator and researcher who believes every student, from every background, deserves an accessible, high-quality pathway to achieve success. She brings over a decade of experience building such access for middle-school, high-school, and post-secondary students.
Dr. Bent has deep professional roots in the Austin area. Dr. Bent served as Director of Research for the Charles Butt Foundation, leading a team of researchers in public opinion research on Texans’ and teachers’ perceptions and needs of the public education system and distributing their findings and recommendations to state legislative representatives. As Program Administrator of the Travis County Work-Based Learning/Summer Youth Employment Program (SYEP), Dr. Bent helped to build positive and productive partnerships between businesses and the community, establishing and maintaining over 150 job sites for 750 student interns each summer. Within SYEP, she especially sought to recruit business partners in STEM career fields to provide interns to exposure and access to higher-paying careers. While working as the Associate Director of College Success Programs at the Ann Richards School for Young Women Leaders, Dr. Bent started the school’s first college persistence program to continue strong relationships with alumni and aid them in their college success.
Dr. Bent holds a Ph.D. in Education (School Improvement) and a M.Ed. (Higher Education Student Affairs) from Texas State University and a BA in Communications from Southwestern University. In addition to recent polling instruments and reports, she has published research in peer-reviewed journals.
Jasmine Gulick – Operations Manager
Jasmine Gulick earned a BS in Psychology, a minor in Anthropology (specializing in Native Studies), and multidisciplinary honors in Writing from the University of Massachusetts Amherst. She received an MFA in Writing from the University of Southern Maine’s Stonecoast Program. She’s worked in education and outreach for over a decade now and loves connecting with and mentoring students. Outside of work, Jasmine is an author, a gamer, and a member of the Stars of Austin Figure Skating Club.
“GeoFORCE is something truly special. As I head into my seventh summer with the program, I look forward to the countless more memories and connections I’ll form with my fellow staff and especially with the students.”
Mitchel Lambert – Senior Program Coordinator
mitchel.lambert@jsg.utexas.edu
Mitchel graduated from Louisiana State University (LSU) *Geaux Tigers*, with a Sport Administration degree. He has ten years of youth development experience as a soccer coach, gymnastics coach, summer camp counselor, youth leader, and most recently as the Young Adult Development Director with Project Transformation Rio Texas. His hands-on experience with children and college-age young adults will be a strength as he joins the GeoFORCE team. When he is not working, Mitchel spends his time immersed in the soccer world, playing video games, and spending time with his incredible wife Theresa.
“I am excited to join the GeoFORCE team, and to experience the full extent of the program. I am looking forward to getting to know the participants and creating an environment they will enjoy this summer.”
Jennifer Peña – Outreach Coordinator
Jennifer is from Eagle Pass, Texas and earned her BS in Geology from the University of Texas at Austin as a Terry Scholar. While at the Jackson School, she workshopped the creation of a science, society, and ethics website for college students to discuss ethical issues within their field of study. She was selected as a student participant of the GeoFORCE Texas program in 2014. Jennifer is passionate about giving back and since finishing the program in 2017, she served as an Educational Coach In Training (ECIT), Math & Science Institute Peer Learning Assistant (PLA), and as a member of the GeoFORCE Longhorns Alumni group.
“The impact GeoFORCE has had on my life and the lives of so many other students is immeasurable! I hope we can continue to be a small, but helpful piece in the puzzle of these students’ lives.”
Eleanor Cote – Outreach Coordinator
Eleanor earned her BS in Geology from The University of Texas at Austin. She spent two years as an Undergraduate Researcher studying paleoclimate data collected from corals. She is also passionate about science communication and was involved in several outreach projects throughout college. Eleanor participated in GeoFORCE while in high school and graduated from the program in 2017. She will be focusing on communications and social media, as well as Transition to Career.
“GeoFORCE has provided me with so many opportunities and experiences, and I am excited to give back to the next generation of GeoFORCE students!”
Shari Sims – Administrative Associate
Shari earned her BS in Textiles and Apparel at The University of Texas at Austin. After college, she worked for Kendra Scott for over eight years in support of their goals to give back to the community both locally and nationally. She worked in a variety of roles during her tenure at Kendra Scott including inventory control, wholesale administration, and inbound transportation. She is excited to join the GeoFORCE team and bring her experience to aid in all things administrative. In her free time, Shari enjoys playing video games, sewing, traveling and going to concerts.
Jackson School Supporting Staff
Tim Weiss, Director of Student Services – JSG Scholarship, UT admissions, Acceptance into JSG
timothy.weiss@jsg.utexas.edu
Jennifer Jordan, Career Services Director – JSG student internships, resume review, interview preparation, etc.
jjordan@jsg.utexas.edu
Kristen Tucek, Associate Director of Corporate Relations
ktucek@jsg.utexas.edu
Nikolas White, Financial Officer
nwhite@jsg.utexas.edu
