Episode 86: In AWE of Dr. Yvonne Smith-Jones–Amplifiers Series
Dr. Yvonne Smith Jones has dedicated her life to education, leadership, and service. She is the Director and CEO of Highly Effective Services, Inc. where she has had a contract as an Impact Coach since 2012 working with principals in 75% of the Commonwealth of Virginia schools for a School University Resource Network (SURN) in the School of Education at the College of William and Mary plus coaching numerous school-based leadership teams with Highly Effective Services. She has served as the Director for the Project ALL leadership project in the Educational Leadership department at Virginia Commonwealth University in 2009-2011. She retired in 2009 after working for thirty-one years as a teacher, principal and educational leader for New Kent County and Hopewell City schools. Serving eight years in the Principalship and spending thirteen years as the Director of Mathematics, Science and Technology for Hopewell Public Schools.
She received numerous awards for her leadership from organizations such as the Women Educational Leaders of Virginia, New Kent County NAACP, Hopewell Public Schools, Longwood College of Education and Human Services, Southern Virginia Regional Technology Consortium, Richmond Area Council America Business Women’s Association, Virginia Commonwealth University.
Dr. Smith-Jones has served the Board of Directors for the Virginia Association of Supervision and Curriculum Development, William and Mary School of Education Development Board, Optima Health Insurance Community and Outreach Board, and Charles City County Boards of Planning and Zoning plus on the Charles City Civic League and Cultural Alliance Board of Directors. In Addition, she was a member of the Mathematics and Science Coalition for the Commonwealth and the Charles City Recreation Dept. Board. She has published several articles and written a variety of grants.
She has been an avid member of John Tyler Community College Board of Visitors for eight (8) years and a lifetime member of the Virginia Association of Science Teachers, Past President of the Charles City County NAACP and Civic League, and a Lifetime Member of the NAACP. Areas of interest are K-8 mathematics, transient and students at promise, poverty, leadership, instruction, coaching-instructional feedback, STEM, and Lesson Study. She is one of the founding members of the Charles City Democratic Committee and serves as the treasurer. She has had speaking engagements for various organizations and churches emphasizing educational and or women issues. She is a community advocate for Diversity, Inclusivity, and Equity.
Yvonne has been an adjunct instructor for the University of Virginia, Virginia Commonwealth University, Virginia State University, Regent University and Mary Baldwin University. She has conducted numerous workshops for school divisions and conferences throughout the state of Virginia and Washington, DC. She volunteers with Foodbanks and American Cancer Society. She tutors students and organizes Church camps for STEM. She loves walking and biking on the Capital to Capital Bike trail in Charles City County, Virginia.
In this episode, Dr. Yvonne speaks so many eloquent truths about the importance of finding our voices, using them, and serving others to find and use theirs. She is a deep deep well of wisdom, knowledge, service, leadership, and history. We touched upon so many more topics than I could have hoped for in our discussion, and her message is perfect to remind us that we can never stop learning. She deeply inspired me in our chat, and I know she will have a mission in her message that will land however you need it now, friend. I am honored to share with you Dr. Yvonne Smith Jones’s Amplifier Story.
Connect with Dr. Yvonne:
@JonesDrysj12 on Twitter
www.highlyeffectivveservices.weebly.com
Black Women Education Leaders (BWEL) on Twitter
