Stephanie J. Jones, a lawyer, writer and former senior government official, is President of The Call to Justice Foundation. She was the federal government's first Chief Opportunities Officer and is the former Editor-in-Chief of The State of Black America. Jones is the creator and author of Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows, which brought national attention to the lack of minority guests on Sunday Morning political talk shows and resulted in a measurable increase in the diversity of cable and network talk show lineups.
Jones received her bachelor's degree in English literature and Afro-American studies from Smith College in Northampton, Massachusetts. She earned her law degree from the University of Cincinnati College of Law, where she was a fellow in the Urban Morgan Institute for Human Rights. She also attended Tuskegee Institute.
Career
Jones is the president and board member of The Call to Justice Foundation, a nonprofit devoted to advancing the civil rights legacy of her father, Nathaniel R. Jones. She was the first chief opportunities officer in federal government, appointed by Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. She also served as senior counselor to the secretary and deputy chief of staff for the U.S. Department of Transportation. Jones is president of Stephanie Jones Strategies, LLC, a Washington, D.C. public affairs and strategic planning firm. Prior to starting her business, Jones was the executive director of the National Urban LeaguePolicy Institute and editor-in-chief of The State of Black America. Jones is the creator and author of Sunday Morning Apartheid: A Diversity Study of the Sunday Morning Talk Shows. Following the release of the study, cable and network executives substantially increased the diversity of their talk show host and guest lineups. She was previously chief counsel to Senator John Edwards from 2002 to 2005 and chief of staff to Representative Stephanie Tubbs Jones from 2000 to 2002. She served in the Clinton Administration as Secretary's Regional Representative in the U.S. Department of Education. Before entering government service, Jones was an associate professor of Law at Northern Kentucky University's Salmon P. Chase College of Law, where she taught civil rights law, civil and criminal procedure, entertainment law, and trial advocacy. Jones has also served on the adjunct faculty of Northwestern University School of Law. She previously practiced law with the firm Graydon, Head & Ritchey in Cincinnati. Prior to her legal career, Jones was a staff reporter at the Cincinnati Post. During the early 1980s, she was personal assistant to Lionel Richie and The Commodores.
