Jeff Jessee currently serves as the Chief Executive Officer of the Alaska Mental Health Trust Authority (The Trust). The Trust is a state-owned corporation with assets of more than $300 million and one million acres of land.  The Trust was established as a perpetual trust and operates much like a private foundation, using its resources to ensure that Alaska has a comprehensive integrated mental health program.  The beneficiaries of the Trust include people with mental illness, developmental disabilities, chronic alcoholism, and Alzheimer’s and related disorders. 

Jeff began his career in 1980 as an attorney for the Disability Law Center.  Over the next 15 years he represented hundreds of individuals and was involved in many successful statewide task forces and committees working to address issues such as deinstitutionalization, guardianship, civil commitment, funding formulas, special education and housing.

In 1985, Jeff represented a subclass in the litigation involving the state’s mismanagement of the Alaska mental health land trust, which was created by the federal government before statehood.  He worked to forge a coalition of interested parties, including consumers, developers, environmentalists, tourism interests, and others, to construct a settlement.  Upon approval of the settlement in 1995, Jeff became the Chief Executive Officer of The Trust. As a leader and advocate for Trust beneficiaries, Jeff is responsible for leveraging Trust income and developing partnerships to enhance mental health services throughout the state. 

Jeff is active on several non-profit and philanthropic boards, including Philanthropy Northwest, the Alaska Funders Group, the Operations Board for The Foraker Group, and the Behavioral Health Sub Committee of the Denali Commission’s Health Facilities Committee.  He is also a tireless advocate for the homeless and currently serves on the Governor’s Council on the Homeless and chairs the Alaska Housing Trust Steering Committee, which advocates creation of a housing trust to support Alaska’s homeless.