Photo by Saverio Truglia

Photo by Saverio Truglia

Constance “CJ” Jones (MBA 2008) had a tough time as a student at her middle school in Durham, North Carolina. Often the only person of color in the academically advanced classes, she felt rejected by both her white and her black peers for being different. “I didn’t know where I belonged, and I was often bullied pretty badly in the sixth grade,” she says. By eighth grade, things weren’t wonderful—but they weren’t terrible, either. Jones also found a role model in an African American teacher named Ms. Brown. “She was tall, beautiful, and smart. I wanted to be her.”

Fast-forward a dozen years to HBS, where Jones took an entrepreneurship in public education elective with Stacey Childress (MBA 2000), who now heads NewSchools Venture Fund. Childress urged her to enter the field, but Jones, intent on paying off her loans, opted for a role with Hyatt Corporation. “There was a moment when I was in Calgary on a project for Hyatt in the dead of February, eating a bison burger, and I hadn’t been home in months,” she recalls. “I thought, you know, I probably should start looking.”

That moment of clarity led to a project manager position at the KIPP Foundation, the support arm for a nationwide network of public charter schools. Over six years at KIPP, Jones rose to the position of national development director while also finding time to mentor a group of eight girls studying at Chicago’s UIC College Prep—one of 18 free, open-enrollment charter schools that make up the Noble Network of Charter Schools. That connection led to a role in 2015 as chief external affairs officer at Noble; in November 2018, she was named CEO.

In her first year leading Noble, Jones dropped its restrictive dress code; it’s what’s inside, not outside, that determines student success, she says. “I’ve pushed people to think about what they would want for their own biological child,” she says. “Ninety-eight percent of our students are minorities, eighty-nine percent qualify for free or reduced lunch, and eighty-four percent will be first-generation college students. When I look at our kids of color, I see myself and my struggles in middle school. We need to have the same love and high expectations for the kids we serve. There can’t be two sets of rules.”

Gospel truth: “I sing with a group at my church. I’m a solid alto, now and then I can hit a second soprano, and I can also do tenor. It’s the best feeling to just belt it out, release, praise, and worship.”

Rise and shine: “I get up at 4:30 or 5 because I’m a big believer in working out. I toggle back and forth between Peloton and doing a hot yoga workout to hip-hop music.”

Press pause: “I also take a moment each morning to pray for my 12,000 kids and 1,300 staff—for them to have a great day and to be safe, because oftentimes there’s violence in the communities we serve.”

Case cracker: Jensen Shoes. “One of the protagonists is an African American working with a white coworker who sees things differently, and I remember literally thinking, ‘That’s me.’ As a person of color, there are situations where I’ve also had to speak up.”

Tar Heel: “The things I miss most about North Carolina are the food; the hot, humid weather; and my huge extended family. Sunday church, Sunday dinner, then sitting on the couch in the family room, laughing and talking.”

Bone to pick: “I love barbecue, and the thing that pains me most is that barbecue in Chicago is rib tips, not vinegar-based chopped pork.”

Must read: More Than Enough by Elaine Welteroth. “Every woman and every woman of color should read this book, especially if you are trying to navigate professional spaces.”

Bull’s-eye: “Turns out I’m a sharpshooter. In 2014 I went shooting for the first time and hit every single clay disk. The funny thing is, I haven’t gone since.”

Blockbuster fun: “No one looks at me and thinks, ‘Constance loves action movies.’ But I do. I’ve probably seen every Jurassic Park movie five times. I think it allows my brain to go someplace it never [otherwise] goes.”

Alter ego: Broadway musical actress. “My ninth-grade choir teacher, Ms.Timberlake, somehow raised enough money to take a few of us from North Carolina to New York to see Rent. I fell in love with musicals and the idea that one day I’d live in a city.”

Teaching moment: “One simple word: rest. Our work is so hard, and it’s so urgent. This job has helped me realize how the beautiful gift of rest provides the clarity and fuel to get up and do it all over again.”

+LISTEN
Jones talks about diversity, inclusion, and why she dyed her hair purple on the Skydeck podcast

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