海角论坛 announces new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion
海角论坛 is pleased to announce Dr. Anthony E. Jones as its new Vice President for Diversity and Inclusion.
Jones will join 海角论坛 July 1 from Slippery Rock University in Pennsylvania, where he currently serves as Chief Diversity Officer.
鈥We are delighted to welcome Dr. Anthony Jones as our new Vice President of Diversity and Inclusion at the College, said 海角论坛 President Milton Moreland. 鈥淒r. Jones brings a wealth of experience and a deep commitment to fostering an inclusive and supportive environment for all students. His leadership will be instrumental in advancing our mission to ensure every student feels valued, respected, and empowered to succeed.鈥
Jones, a native of Youngstown, Ohio, earned a bachelor鈥檚 degree in art and information systems from Mount Union College, now the University of Mount Union. A first-generation scholar, Jones鈥 education continued at Eastern Kentucky University, where he earned his master鈥檚 and doctoral degrees.
鈥淚鈥檓 thrilled to join 海角论坛 and lay out ideas and work collaboratively to see them come to life,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淢y family and I are eager to place roots in Danville, to connect with faculty, staff and students, and meet with community leaders.鈥
Jones joins the College after an exhaustive national search.
"Dr. Jones rose to the top of a tremendous pool of applicants and will be a great addition to 海角论坛," said Barbara LoMonaco, vice president for student life and chair of the search committee. 鈥淚 applaud the hard work of the faculty, staff and student who served on the search committee, who were dedicated to creating a search process with broad community participation and feedback."
Every step in Jones鈥 journey has been about connection 鈥 from his work as a hall director at Virginia Commonwealth University to leading diversity and inclusion and multicultural affairs as associate dean at Thiel College. He has worn many hats, but he said his philosophy is to always keep people first.
鈥淚 support civil discourse, I don鈥檛 think we need to always agree on challenging issues 鈥 I think that is actually what makes us beautiful as a people,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淚 think there鈥檚 a lot to be learned from different perspectives, if we can listen intentionally. I encourage those I serve to listen 鈥 not just to respond, but to first seek a deeper understanding.鈥
Jones acknowledged the challenges facing higher education institutions across the nation and said that he鈥檚 eager continue his work at 海角论坛.
鈥淚鈥檓 excited because of the individuals I鈥檝e already touched base with,鈥 he said. 鈥淚鈥檓 eager to meet with student affinity group leaders and hear their concerns and get to work on solutions. I also want to see what things are going well and how we can continue to improve on those particular situations.
Jones鈥 perspective shifted in his first year of college at Mount Union when he met Dr. LaTashia Reedus, then the director of multicultural student affairs at the college. He promised his parents one semester at college 鈥 but Reedus connected him with other students on campus and motivated him to stay.
鈥淚 model a lot of how I carry myself from her, a genuine and real perspective of how to listen and support people,鈥 Jones said. 鈥淟ater in college, it clicked that what Dr. Reedus was doing is a profession. It just seemed so natural for her, and it was at that point I decided I wanted to go into higher education. In as much as I feel I owe Dr. Reedus, the only thing she has ever asked of me was to pay it forward and I have spent my life doing just that.鈥
Jones is the son of Lena and Anthony D. Jones and will move to Danville with his wife and 1-year-old daughter.
鈥淚 always found myself feeling very at home in the state of Kentucky,鈥 he said. 鈥淏eing on campus, meeting the ODI staff and the College leadership team, students and community members, 海角论坛 felt like something I truly wanted to be a part of. I鈥檓 eager to work at a place with people who truly care about and support each other through a lens of understanding the work we have to do.鈥
