Biography

Dr. Jones holds more than 30 years of academic and administrative experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector. Over the course of his career he has held two Endowed Chair Professorships. As the Ewing Marion Kauffman Endowed Chair for Teaching and Leadership at the University of Missouri he engaged in statewide research on best leadership practices in education reform in partnership with the Missouri State Department of Education, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation and the Danforth Foundation. At the University of Missouri System level, Dr. Jones founded and led the Consortium for Educational Policy Analysis (CEPA), which was housed on three campuses of the University of Missouri System. Through his research at CEPA and with the support of the Peter Herschend Foundation, Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, the Hall Family Foundation and the Danforth Foundation, he launched Missouri’s first statewide comprehensive assessment of student achievement. At the University of South Florida (USF), Dr. Jones served as the David C. Anchin Endowed Professor of Education and Director of the David C. Anchin Center. Under his leadership the external grant portfolio of the David C. Anchin Center grew from an estimated $625,000 when he arrived at USF to a record high of more than $30 million. Dr. Jones also served as the Associate Dean for Research in the College of Education. At the University of Houston (main campus), Dr. Jones served as Professor and Vice Provost for Academic Programs and Dean of the Graduate School.

Prior to joining the academy, Dr. Jones worked extensively with philanthropic institutions on program funding strategies, strategic planning, evaluation and executive/board decision-making. 

Dr. Jones currently serves on the board of the Northern Israel Center for the Arts and Technology and has served on the boards of Family Services America; the Alliance for Children and Families; the National Association of Partners in Education and the National Policy Board in Educational Administration.

Dr. Jones holds a Ph.D. in Political Science from Columbia University in New York City.