10/24/2026
For Jesse Bunch, being Monroe Made is about much more than where he went to school. It represents the people and lessons that shaped the person he is today.
Jesse, a 2006 graduate of Tellico Plains High School, currently serves as a Marketing Manager for UT Medical, where he leads web and digital experience initiatives.
Jesse has built a career spanning more than 15 years in marketing and administration in higher education and healthcare. Along the way, he served as a Legislative Affairs intern with the Department of Education in Washington, D.C., working with the Committee for Higher Education in the U.S. House of Representatives. He also worked in Athletics Marketing and Promotions at Tennessee Technological University as a Senior Coordinator. His educational and professional journey includes degrees and certifications from Cleveland State Community College, Tennessee Technological University, and Vanderbilt University.
Education has always been central to Jesse’s life. His mother, Judy Bunch, spent more than 40 years teaching in Monroe County Schools and shared her love of teaching and learning with her family. Jesse credits not only his teachers, but also the aides, cafeteria workers, custodians, coaches, and other school employees who taught him lessons that extended far beyond the classroom.
His memories of Monroe County Schools include having his mother as his kindergarten teacher and being inspired to learn in Laura Jones’ combined third- and fourth-grade classroom. In middle school, he remembers cultivating plants in Karen Anderson’s class that would eventually make their way to the International Space Station. At TPHS, teachers Sandy Childress, Jimmy Gilbert, and Chris Hollinghead helped develop his appreciation for English and literature, while Steven Patton, Tonya Brown, and Mitchell Witt encouraged him to persevere in math and science.
Today, Jesse continues to value service and community. He is an ordained minister and serves as an Associate Pastor at Bethlehem Baptist Church in Madisonville. He considers serving alongside his faith family, many of whom helped raise and mentor him, one of the accomplishments that means the most to him.
Jesse is married to Jody, a 2006 graduate of Sequoyah High School, and they have a son. Through his career, ministry, or family, Jesse continues to carry the lessons of perseverance, service, and pride in his community that began in Monroe County Schools. We are proud that someone of Jesse’s character and integrity is Monroe Made.
