Star: Charlie Simons
Charlie Simons was raised in Grants Pass, along with his four siblings. He graduated from Grants Pass High before graduating with honors from SOU with a degree in business administration. Charlie and his high school sweetheart and wife, Justine reside in Grants Pass with their two boys.
Charlie spent 13 years at a pharmacy software company before making the leap to hardware in 2020 as the General Manager of Fields Home Center. He also spends his winters on the court as a high school basketball official.
In his spare time, Charlie is a proud member of the Grants Pass Active Club. He has had the privilege of helping several Sparrows in the Rogue Valley as the chairman of the Active Club’s “adopted child” program. He is also a Board member for the Josephine County Food Bank.
In addition to his family, community activism is a pillar in Charlie’s life. The opportunity to serve the youth and youth-based programs is a passion of his. Charlie competed in DWTRVS in 2019, performing the Argentine Tango with his partner, Kris Alleman. A second-place finish left him short of his goal, but he has high hopes of winning this year and raising more than $10,000 for Sparrow Clubs.
Partner: Jessica Gallegos
Jessica Gallegos grew up in the Central Valley of California. She moved to Chicago, Illinois to attend North Park University and majored in Elementary Education. Although dance had been a part of her life since she was a young child, it was in Chicago where she fell in love with Latin dancing. Jessica dedicated countless hours to training with multiple elite instructors in the City of Chicago. She also danced on three performance teams that focused on salsa and bachata routines. These teams performed in salsa congresses from the west coast to the Dominican Republic!
Jessica, along with her husband Keoni and two children, Kalia and Jaxon, now have called Grants Pass, Oregon their home for the past five years. She works for the Three Rivers School District as a 5th grade teacher and teaches salsa at Candela Dance studio. When she has some down time, you can find her on the river or going for a hike in the outdoors and enjoying all the beauty southern Oregon has to offer!