BAKERSFIELD, Calif. (KERO) — This women’s history month, we are taking time to highlight women in our community who are making a difference.
Dr. Jessica Grimes is a leader in the Kern Community College District (KCCD), who is using her own struggles to positively impact other’s lives.
For some she’s been known as an English professor, a dean and an associate vice chancellor. But to her husband, in his own words, she's “a beautiful black queen,” and others have even referred to her as Bakersfield’s Michelle Obama.
But no matter what she’s called, Grimes tells me her mission remains the same, rolling up her sleeves and doing the work of the community.
“I just thought, if I get a chance to come back, I’m not going to play small, I am going to go all the way in because I realize that I have a second chance at life, and I want it to count,” said Grimes.
In 2016, Grimes went through the unthinkable.
“I was diagnosed with heart disease, and I was pregnant at the time, and I lost our baby,” explained Grimes.
After fighting for her life and adjusting to living with the disease, Grimes says it gave her a new purpose.
“It has really helped me get back and I made a promise to God, and I said, from now on, ‘I’m just going to take the opportunities and I’m going to say yes, because I know that life is not promised and you put me here for a reason and I’m going to do it, even when it’s hard,’ and I’m going to tell you, that is hard,” said Grimes.
And she's kept her promise, now Grimes sits on several community boards across Kern County, and the doctor in front of her name is in reference to her day job, as Dean of Economic and Workforce Development, and the Interim Associate Vice Chancellor, Career Education and Workforce Development, at the KCCD.
Now things have become full circle for Grimes, who is in a position that allows her to help others reach their goals.
“I started to see I’m not just focused on the students of today, but also the students of tomorrow and generational poverty is something that we have been trying to address for years, career education is a vehicle to help students move their families into a position of family sustainable wages, and that really empowers me,” said Grimes.
Grimes grew up in Bakersfield – as one of 11 children in her home – crediting her mother and one of her sisters as her motivation.
“It offered me a pathway out of poverty, and I didn’t necessarily have any other vehicle or understanding of other careers,” said Grimes.
And now her leadership is seen throughout KCCD and the community by people like her friend and colleague NaTesha Johnson.
“Oftentimes we hear the higher we get in certain roles, the more disconnect that we have with other people, and that’s totally the opposite with Jessica, she’s very personable, she doesn’t use her role or title to define who she is, its who she is authentically in her heart,” said Johnson.
But she's not done, outside of her roles at KCCD and in the community.
“I’ve become a pastor’s wife recently, and that’s a lot of community work,” said Grimes.
While Grimes says she’s still learning, her husband, Traco Matthews, pastor at Church of God says first lady is a role that suits her.
“People rejoiced when they found out, ‘oh she’s going to be the first lady’ I’m going to love getting to work with her and following her spiritual leadership’ because she’s demonstrated positivity and genuine care and love for folks before she was in a formal leadership role anywhere,” said Matthews.
Matthews is an avid leader in the community himself – but he credits who he is today – to his wife.
“She is the love of my life and just an incredibly gifted, but authentic caring person, and everything that I am, most of it I owe to her, to her wisdom, to her advice, her inspiration and her support, the man that I am today sitting in front of you, it’s because of who Jess is, and who she has helped me to become,” said Matthews.
Even though it took Matthews three times to get Grimes to tie the knot, they just celebrated 22 years of marriage.
“I feel incredibly lucky, that she chose to do life with me, I always say that I married above my paygrade, I punched out of my weight class, I got really lucky,” said Matthews.
And looking back at everything she's been through Grimes feels lucky too.
“Finding purpose, is I think the lifeline to joy and happiness, and I can genuinely say, even though it took time, I am genuinely a joyful person and I think it has a lot to do with deepening my purpose,” said Grimes.
Prior to working at KCCD, Grimes worked as an educator at Taft college for 13 years.
And if you’ve seen Dr. Grimes in the community over the last couple of years, it’s hard to miss her unique glasses.
Grimes says it started during COVID-19 when she was tired of seeing herself in the same glasses, so she started buying new ones to accessorize and show you can be professional and still showcase your personality.
All month long we will continue to highlight female leaders in Kern County.
