Curriculum Vita

Mr. Jen (JD) Derless, MA, MLIS

Ordained Notary

Detroit, Michigan

    http://www.linkedin.com/in/jenderless 

Education: University of South Florida, May 2020

                   M.A. in Library and Information Sciences

  Central Michigan University, May  2016                                                     

                    M.A. in Humanities with a focus in Sociology

                    Thesis: Queer Theory and the Philosophy of Freedom in the  Road Narrative

                    B.S. Psychology and Sociology, December 2008

 Certifications: Level II Librarian

    Empowerment-Based Advocacy

          Ordained Minister

    Notary Public (Michigan)

Experience: Library Intern, March 2022-June 2023

      Archival Intern, December 2023-June 2025

                Suburban Library Cooperative, Sterling Heights, MI

      Romeo District Kezar Library, Romeo, MI

•    Rotation of various librarianship duties, such as cataloging, collection development and maintenance, reference, and circulation (Workflows and Polaris)

•    Patron assistance and community outreach events

•    Outreach programming and project proposal creation

•    Preparing instructional media/displays

•    Diversity, equity, and inclusion project and committee  work

•     Conceived, proposed, and carried out a 150+ year newspaper digitization and archival upload project

•    Other duties as assigned

Committees: Change Committee, Adult Services Roundtable

ALA-Social Responsibilities Round Table

     Domestic Violence Safety Advocate, January 2016-January 2017

             Community Action Stops Abuse (CASA), St. Petersburg, FL

•    Assisted case load of participants with needs necessary for self

sufficiency while recovering from domestic violence

•    Provided community and legal resources and court support for survivors of domestic violence

•    Led various support groups

      Substitute Teacher, January 2015-June 2015

            PCMI Services/Mount Pleasant School District, Mt. Pleasant, MI

•  Followed lesson plans and administered them to students

•   Supervision of students

           Forensic Case Manager/Counselor/Intake Assessor, March 2009-November 2013                                                                                            Tampa Crossroads/PEARL, St. Petersburg, FL    

                     Duties included but not limited to:

●   Utilized community/government resources to provide 300-400 clients with the highest level of self-sufficiency possible through duration of employment

●   Supervised counseling of mental health and substance abuse clients

●   Advocating for clients in court

●   Supervision of mental health and substance abuse clients

●      Completing treatment plans and notes in accordance with CARF accredited standards for dual diagnosis

●      Assisting in CARF accreditation process

●   Leading therapeutic groups

Mutual Aid/Volunteer: Mutual Aid Disaster Relief, August 2017-Present

   SBB Underground Needle Exchange (co-founder/organizer), December 2019-March 2021

  WMNF 88.5 (programmer, co-host “Alternative Frequency”), July 2019-May 2020

             Occupy ICE Tampa (co-organizer/facilitator),  July 2018-July 2019

             Occupy Prisons Gainesville (co-organizer), August 2018

             Tampa Food Not Bombs (co-organizer), June 2020

       Gulfport Public Library, November 2018-July 2019

                               Transcend CMU, 2015

                                     St. Petersburg Pride (for TransAction Florida), 2013

  Occupy St. Pete/Occupy Congress/Occupy RNC (co-organizer/facilitator), 2011-2012

                                     Circus McGuirkis: A Peace Fair (workshop co-facilitator),  2012

                         Tomlinson Adult Learning Center (literacy tutor), 2010

                                      Student/Farm worker Alliance, 2007-2009

Professional: Society of American Archivists

Presentations: Derless, Jen (2016). Whose Streets?!? Our Streets! Anarchist Theory and  Practice and Its Manifestations in the Occupy Wall Street Movement. Presented at the European Sociological Association’s Research Network Sociology of Culture (RN7)’s Emergent Culture  6th  midterm Conference at the University of Exeter.

                         Derless, Jen (2016). Free and Queer on the Road. Paper presented at the Queer Media in the 21st Century Conference at Texas Christian University.

                         Derless, Jen (2015). Performative Queerness and Abnormative  Freedom on the Road. Paper presented at The Acacia Group’s (Ab)normativity and (Per)formativity Conference at California State University, Fullerton. 

Publications: Derless, Jen. "Just Doing Our Job": Theories and Manifestations of  Oppression. Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies R&D (JCHS) 2, no.5 (October 2017): 128-140.  https://www.jsrd-humanities.com/volume-2

  Derless, Jen. “Coming Down Out of the Ivory Tower: the State and Fate of  the  Humanities.” Journal of Humanities and Cultural Studies R&D (JHCS)  1, no. 1(March 2016): 16-25. http://jrsdjournal.wix.com/humanities-cultural

Trainings: Academic Service Learning, Formative Student Assessments, CPR/First Aid, Blood borne Pathogens, Sexual Harassment, Hazard Communications, Cultural Diversity, Deaf and Hard of Hearing, Empowerment-Based Advocacy, Conflict De-Escalation, Non-violent Direct Action, VOCA Funding and Relocation, Street Medic, Harm Reduction