Deon Jones was a Program Associate at Opportunity@Work, a civic enterprise based at New America that aims to re-wire the U.S. labor market in ways that enable more Americans to achieve upward mobility in the job market and workplace, to facilitate collective investment by employers to develop the talent they need to succeed and grow, and to scale up promising innovations which unlock the potential of all people for higher-value, meaningful work as a source of economic opportunity and national competitive advantage.
Prior to joining Opportunity@Work, Deon was Special Projects Assistant to the President at Be The Change, Inc. Until June 2015, he was Founder and Facilitator of the Manifest Leadership Institute, an academic and leadership development program for formerly incarcerated teenage boys that sent many of them to 4-year colleges and universities.
Before, Deon served as National Spokesperson at the Campaign for Youth Justice, where he traveled globally speaking on the organization’s mission to end youth incarceration in the U.S. adult criminal justice system. Previously, he served as a D.C. Advisory Neighborhood Commissioner representing Ward 3 from 2011-2013 making him the youngest elected official in Washington, D.C.’s history. In 2013, the D.C. City Council passed the “Deon T. Jones Recognition Resolution of 2013” honoring his service to the city and commitment to empowering young people. He also held internship positions with the White House, Teach for America, and both houses of Congress.
Deon has been active in a number of not-for-profit organizations, serving as a member of the board of directors of America's Promise Alliance, Washington Global Public Charter School, Youth First! Justice Initiative, and Blueprint for Success. He currently serves as Executive Director of the nation's first social accelerator, Code The Streets, and was recently appointed to the National Council of Young Leaders formed from a recommendation from the White House Council on Community Solutions.
Deon earned his B.A. in political science from American University, where he was awarded a Truman Scholarship, and King's College London. He also was a 2013 Public Policy and International Affairs fellow at the University of California, Berkeley.