Meet Errick Jones, '80 Alum
Errick Jones grew up in a small town in the panhandle of West Texas where he was one of the first African American students to integrate into the school system. During his teenage years he became particularly intrigued by Africa. There was not much in his school textbooks about the continent, so he relied on National Geographic magazines that his mother would bring home. When a teacher told him that “Africans haven’t done much to be noteworthy” he knew that could not be the case.
Mr. Jones completed his undergraduate degree in political science from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. After working for a year post graduation, his adviser recommended he apply to the Patterson School for his Master’s. His time at the University of Kentucky was spent learning more about the African continent and engaging with international students on campus, particularly Africans. The most memorable aspect of the Patterson School was the opportunity to engage with international industry professionals. These interactions led to a job after graduation at Chemical Bank in their Middle East and Africa division in New York City. His role allowed him to travel to West Africa for the first time and he was hooked. His next position was with the ABB Group, a Swiss electrical engineering company, that offered him the chance to not only travel to Europe, Asia, and Latin American, but ultimately to live in Ghana as the Managing Director of a start-up subsidiary of the company.
Two years later he was no longer on contract with ABB and decided to stay in Ghana rather than returning to the U.S. Mr. Jones started his own consultancy company, African American Investments, Ltd., focused on attracting American investments in the country. He then continued his career in West Africa spending almost ten years working for Church World Services as their Deputy Director of Administration and Finance. Church World Services runs the U.S. government’s refugee resettlement program in West Africa. The operation worked mainly with refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia before shifting the focus to Darfur in western Sudan. Approximately 40,000 refugees from West Africa were resettled to the U.S. during his tenure.
Now retired and living outside of Atlanta, Mr. Jones is hoping to share his knowledge and impact with the next generation. He said the most important thing you can do after graduation is to continue learning and be willing to be taught. “School lays a good foundation and enables you to ask pertinent questions that can lead you closer to where you want to go.” If you have a “strong sense of what you want to do,” you can accomplish it even if the path is not a straight line. His career took many turns over the years, but once he set his mind to building a future in Africa, he stayed persistent and accomplished his goal. But he says, “My work is not finished.”
Errick Jones grew up in a small town in the panhandle of West Texas where he was one of the first African American students to integrate into the school system. During his teenage years he became particularly intrigued by Africa. There was not much in his school textbooks about the continent, so he relied on National Geographic magazines that his mother would bring home. When a teacher told him that “Africans haven’t done much to be noteworthy” he knew that could not be the case.
Mr. Jones completed his undergraduate degree in political science from Austin College in Sherman, Texas. After working for a year post graduation, his adviser recommended he apply to the Patterson School for his Master’s. His time at the University of Kentucky was spent learning more about the African continent and engaging with international students on campus, particularly Africans. The most memorable aspect of the Patterson School was the opportunity to engage with international industry professionals. These interactions led to a job after graduation at Chemical Bank in their Middle East and Africa division in New York City. His role allowed him to travel to West Africa for the first time and he was hooked. His next position was with the ABB Group, a Swiss electrical engineering company, that offered him the chance to not only travel to Europe, Asia, and Latin American, but ultimately to live in Ghana as the Managing Director of a start-up subsidiary of the company.
Two years later he was no longer on contract with ABB and decided to stay in Ghana rather than returning to the U.S. Mr. Jones started his own consultancy company, African American Investments, Ltd., focused on attracting American investments in the country. He then continued his career in West Africa spending almost ten years working for Church World Services as their Deputy Director of Administration and Finance. Church World Services runs the U.S. government’s refugee resettlement program in West Africa. The operation worked mainly with refugees from Sierra Leone and Liberia before shifting the focus to Darfur in western Sudan. Approximately 40,000 refugees from West Africa were resettled to the U.S. during his tenure.
Now retired and living outside of Atlanta, Mr. Jones is hoping to share his knowledge and impact with the next generation. He said the most important thing you can do after graduation is to continue learning and be willing to be taught. “School lays a good foundation and enables you to ask pertinent questions that can lead you closer to where you want to go.” If you have a “strong sense of what you want to do,” you can accomplish it even if the path is not a straight line. His career took many turns over the years, but once he set his mind to building a future in Africa, he stayed persistent and accomplished his goal. But he says, “My work is not finished.”