Jasmin Spain
“My name is Jasmin Spain and as I tell everyone, the job that I get paid for is me serving in the field of higher education as the Assistant Vice President of Student Support at Pitt Community College in Greenville, NC but the job that I was made and called by the Most High to do is serve as the Founder and Chief Visionary Officer of The M.A.I.N. Initiative, LLC which stands for Males Addressing Issues and Needs, and as the Founder and President of the non-profit U Good Bro, Inc. I personally represent for the Brothers who grew up with a single parent with no father in the home. I personally represent for the Brothers who was molested at the age of five by his female babysitter that as a result woke up some things inside of me that no five-year-old boy should be awaken to. I personally represent for the Brothers who had trust issues with Black men for not having a father in the home but was a hypocrite for being responsible for mentoring Black boys. I personally represent for the Brothers that despite success in abundance dealt with imposter syndrome. I personally represent for the Brothers who almost committed suicide but by the grace of God did not execute. And I personally represent to this day and with acceptance of the thorn in my flesh as Paul in the Bible puts it, that I am living as a Black man diagnosed and am succeeding with the mental illness bipolar disorder II.” Jasmin L. Spain is a native of Gaston, NC, located in Northampton County, an environment which is recognized by the NC Policy Watch as a county for over numerous decades as being “persistently poor”, where only a third of the population are employed, and out of 100 counties is ranked in the top 20 of those who with the highest poverty rate in the state. He holds a Bachelor’s degree from North Carolina Wesleyan College in Exercise Science and a Master’s degree from North Carolina State University in Counselor Education with a concentration in Student Personnel in Higher Education. During his first few years as a post bachelorette, he served in the area of public health working with faith-based communities, healthy sexual behavior amongst youth, and tobacco prevention and cessation. Jasmin has almost two dozen years of higher education experience, serving four years in the College/University sector and the last twelve in the community college sector, currently serving as the Assistant Vice President of Student Support at Pitt Community College. For the state of North Carolina, I have been selected to serve as an Certified Equity Coach for four community colleges for the REACH (Racial Equity for Adult Credentials in Higher Ed) Collaborative associated with the Lumina Foundation. While at PCC, he has served in dual roles within the offices of Student Development Services as well as Institutional Advancement. In his current position, he provides vision and leadership to the areas of Student Conduct, Title IX, threat assessment, minority male and men’s resource initiatives, TRiO, counseling, accessibility, diversity and inclusion related efforts, implementation of student mentoring and leadership initiatives, workforce development, and student engagement and leadership. Jasmin also serves on the advisory boards for the North Carolina Community College System’s (NCCCS) Minority Male Success Initiative, Student Conduct & Title IX and First Generation. The NCCCS is composed of 58 community colleges within the state of North Carolina. His research interests include: The Burden of Proof and the Study of High-Achieving Black Collegians, Impact of Non-
cognitive Risk Factors in the Retention and Completion of At-Risk College Students, Conditional- Acceptance Programs within Colleges and Universities, and African-American Male Retention,
Persistence & Completion in Higher Education.
His experience primarily lies in working with students mainly who have been labeled as “at- risk”, from low socioeconomic backgrounds including poverty, poor educational systems, high
crime rates, and most notably, being first-generation college students. Jasmin is recognized by NISOD (National Institute for Staff and Organization Development) as a Master Presenter. Jasmin is the Founder & Chief Visionary Officer of The M.A.I.N. Initiative, which stands for Males Addressing Issues and Needs. The seed for M.A.I.N. was planted back in 2006 and was originally designed to be a success model for Black males in college. Over the course of 15 years, M.A.I.N. has definitely evolved into a multifaceted entity, becoming a personal and professional enhancement consulting agency designed to improve the quality of life for Black men and boys, creation and development of initiatives and programs for Black males in communities, schools and Colleges. Of the many experiences provided by M.A.I.N., the greatest of them all is the nation’s #1 convening for Black males in high school and College, the National M.A.I.N. Summit. M.A.I.N.’s work is to enhance the quality of life for each individual, and enhance the quality of service and production for organizations, businesses and schools through a means of holistic development through the usage of holistic education. This includes all aspects of life and how they align with one another. Jasmin is the Founder & President of U Good, Bro?!, Inc. U Good, Bro?!, Incorporated is a solution focused, non-profit entity, designed to provide a private, safe and brave space for transparency, vulnerability, and liberation. It’s a space where it’s okay to say that you’re not
okay, but also a space for sheer accountability. The U Good, Bro?! experiences are with like- minded Brothers from across the country, in the sense of creating a non-judgmental zone with
those who fellowship and embrace the realities of being a Man, while strategizing on how to navigate through critical areas that are essential for us to be better examples of what healthy manhood is. We operate from the hashtag #MENtalHEALthMoveMENt, where if you read between the lines, the emphasis is that MEN HEAL MEN. We would like to agree that the goal is when someone asks you, U Good, Bro?!, you can say yes and actually mean it!
Jasmin currently serves as a Consultant for Youth Mentoring Collaborative, which is a capacity- building organization dedicated to increasing the number of Black and Brown youth in identity- affirming mentoring relationships while working to dismantle the systemic barriers that youth
and their families face on a daily basis. Jasmin is a former Board of Directors member for the Third Street Education Center, which includes an all-boys Christian school for Black boys. Jasmin has been an active member of Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc for 20 years, where he has served in local, state, and regional leadership positions, and has multiple awards for his service. Jasmin is also a Campaign for Black Male Achievement American Express Leadership Fellow.
Jasmin is the son of Kirby and Shondalyn Spain, and George and Helen Reed. He has two sisters and one brother, who have given him four amazing nieces and three nephews. He is also the product of growing up in a single parent home, covered by a praying and God-fearing mother who raised him to believe and trust God, and to pray that His Will be done with his life.