Join us to hear Erin Jones speak about her vision of education and what it can do for the children of the State of Washington.
She will share a message she shares with students every day – “in order to contribute effectively to making this nation the best it can be, we must recognize 3 truths: 1. It doesn’t matter where you start, it matters where you finish; 2. Every choice you make matters, so choose wisely, 3. Greatness is not about being rich and famous or having stuff; it’s about investing one’s talents in the community. “
Our dreams must be about more than making a name for ourselves or collecting “stuff,” but about making “our world” better.
With 25 years in teaching and education, she has a dream that would be wonderful to achieve! That is why she ran for the State Superintendent of Schools last November, the first African American woman to run for Executive office in Washington, and lost by only 1% of the vote.
About the Speaker
Erin Jones has been working in and around schools for the past 25 years. She has taught in a variety of environments, from predominantly African American to predominantly Caucasian to some of the most diverse communities in the nation. Erin received an award as the Most Innovative Foreign Language Teacher in 2007, while teaching French Immersion at Stewart Middle School in Tacoma, and was the Washington State Milken Educator of the Year in 2008, while teaching at Rogers High School in Spokane. She served under two state superintendents - half a year as a Director for Dr. Terry Bergeson and 3 years as Assistant Superintendent on the executive leadership team for Superintendent Randy Dorn. She received recognition at the White House in March of 2013 as a "Champion of Change." In 2015 Erin earned recognition as PTA Educator of the Year for her testimony in the McCleary case. Erin left her role as the Director of a large college-access program in Tacoma School District to pursue her campaign for Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction full-time. Erin was the first African-American woman to run for executive office in the state of Washington and lost by a mere 1%. Erin has two children in college, one who works full-time for Xerox, and a husband James who is a high school teacher in Lacey.