Fred A. Jones, Jr.

Fred A. Jones, Jr. is Senior Director of Public Policy and Advocacy, Southern Education Foundation. He formerly served as the Policy Director at the Aurora Institute, where he led the Center for Policy team, conducting federal and state policy analysis, providing technical assistance to elected officials, and offering strategic guidance to advance the Aurora Institute’s mission.

Fred began his career at the U.S. House of Representatives, working for the Education and Workforce Committee. He also worked as a Legislative Associate for the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Director of Government Affairs for the United Negro College Fund. Most recently, he served as the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Southern Education Foundation leading a regional K-16 education equity strategy.

Fred completed the Riley Institute Diversity Leaders Initiative at Furman University. He is also Pahara-NextGen Fellow, an Institute for Responsible Citizenship Scholar, a National Collegiate Scholar, a Coro Fellow, and a 10x All-American Track and Field athlete. Fred holds a bachelor’s degree in Political Science from Tufts University, and he earned an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park Robert H. Smith School of Business. He has a beautiful wife, a toddler son, and an infant daughter.