Kimberly Jones is the President of the Council for Opportunity in Education. For nearly two decades, she has served as a leading advocate for low-income students, first-generation students, students with disabilities, and other marginalized learners. Previously, Ms. Jones fulfilled several roles at the Council. In her present role, she serves as the chief executive officer of the Council, which represents the interests of its member colleges, universities, and community-based agenciesthat serve nearly 900,000 students in the Federal TRIO Programs. As president, she serves as the primary liaison between the Council and the United States Congress, the Executive Branch, and all governmental agencies as well as all other postsecondary education associations. Additionally, she oversees the organization’s professional development offerings for college access and success educators; scholarly and experiential learning opportunities for low-income, first-generation students; and the research agenda of COE’s Pell Institute for the Study of Higher Education.
Prior to joining COE, Ms. Jones was an Associate in the Communications Practice Group at the law firm of Dow Lohnes, PLLC (now Cooley LLP), where she advised clients on a variety of broadcast and media law issues.
Ms. Jones has served in leadership roles within various professional and civic organizations, including the Committee for Education Funding, of which she served as President. She is an Advisory Board Member of the First Gen Fund, a non-profit organization that provides financial assistance to first-generation college students. She is also a Board Member of Marked By COVID, a non-partisan charitable entity that promotes accountability, recognition, and justice for the millions of victims of COVID-19, including her father. Ms. Jones also a member of the Junior League of Washington and volunteers with the DC Family & Youth Initiative, an organization that provides mentorship and support for young people in and aging out of the foster care system in the Washington, DC metro area.
A recognized expert in the higher education arena, Ms. Jones has been featured on Good Morning America, NPR, and NBC4 Washington as well as publications such as The Chronicle of Higher Education, Inside Higher Ed, Politico, and The Hill.
A Harry S. Truman Scholar, Ms. Jones is a graduate of Yale University and the Georgetown University Law Center. In 2016, Ms. Jones was named one of the “40 Under 40 Nation’s Best Advocates” by the National Bar Association and also received the organization’s Excellence in Activism Award. In 2018, she was selected for the Diversity Executive Leadership Program sponsored by ASAE, the American Society of Association Executives. In 2021, she earned the Certified Association Executive (CAE) credential from ASAE.