Heather M. Jones (she/her/hers) is a Des Moines, Iowa native and proud graduate of Des Moines’ East High School (‘02). Jones holds a BA in International Relations and Political Science from William Jewell College (‘06) and a Masters in Business Leadership from William Penn University (‘11).

 

Jones aided a South Korean company in starting their US branch in Kansas City, MO, helped video store owners across the United States enhance their stores through independent film, and spent four years in Tokyo, Japan teaching English along with various roles in the indie film industry. Jones returned to the United States in 2015 with two goals: working to eradicate systemic racism and uplifting communities of color. She spent most of 2016 assisting Betty Andrews, with work for the NAACP on state and local levels, planning the Iowa Summit on Justice and Disparities, and the 19th Annual I’ll Make Me A World In Iowa. Jones was the general manager for the local start-up DSM Brew Coffee Co., through its first year operation, until being hired as the Deputy Campaign Manager for Deidre DeJear’s historic run for Iowa Secretary of State in February 2018. In 2019 she had the pleasure of serving as the Executive Director of Iowa Sisters States with highlights that included working closely with the Republic of Kosovo.

 

Currently, Jones works for the Polk County Financial Empowerment Center to help infuse financial literacy into our county and is the director of the 20/20 Vision PAC. Her community work includes the Executive Board of Urban Dreams, Executive Board of the Des Moines Branch of the NAACP, the Advisory Board of Languages at Grand View University, the Advisory Board of New Leaders Council Des Moines, and the Advisory Board of Greater Des Moines Y-Camp. She is also a 2020 graduate of the Community Leadership Program at the Greater Des Moines Leadership Institute and a 2020 Des Moines Business Record 40 Under 40 Honoree. She is also a sought after thought leader on allyship and supporting Black communities.