Open Source Afro Hair Library » Jet Appling Jet Appling – Open Source Afro Hair Library

Jet Appling

Jet Appling has been known to refer to himself as a Black of all trades and a master of fun. Others have referred to him as the man with fitty-leven jobs. The reality is that Jet spent years without a diagnosis for what turned out to be ADHD. Without medication or understanding why he never thought like anyone else in the room, he found creative ways to navigate the world around him and to consume knowledge through experiences (read: jobs). One truth remained constant through all of his work endeavors, he always wanted to help people. After grassroots fundraising efforts for AIDS Walk (Atlanta, San Diego) and the Pink Party for breast cancer research, Jet decided to officially lean into fundraising work when he joined the Matthew Hill Foundation as their Director of Fundraising Initiatives in 2018. After helping them raise over $1 million during their No-Shave November campaign, he then moved on to the development department at Spirit Rock Meditation Center where he currently works as their Development Operations Manager. Jet joined the Afro Hair Library at a critical moment, helping to bring in several grants and partnerships, support our team of contributing artists with project management, and grow the core operations team. Jet’s experience building safe and inclusive spaces for creative Black and Brown folks to thrive has enabled us to fulfill a core mission of The Library, ensuring we not only create 3D assets, but a cherished and enriching community for historically underserved artists.