Darryl Jones, FAMU grad, seeks school board seat

 

Darryl Jones is known by his family, friends and co-workers as “Mr. Tallahassee” because of his passion for his community and all the hard work he has done around the city.

Jones, 48. has been a member of the Tallahassee community for 30 years. He graduated from Florida A&M University with a degree in English and then became a community organizer and has been on a number of different committees, including FAMU Way, the PACE Center for Girls, Bethel AME church and more.

“Mr. Jones has always had the south side community and underserved as his focus in his professional career and in his personal life,” said Gloria Brown, a friend of Jones. “He is an advocate and a fighter. He fights for the rights of people in underserved communities.”

Jones is the deputy director at the Tallahassee Leon County Office of Economic Vitality as the director of minority women and small business enterprise. “Mr. Tallahassee” has recentlly taken on yet another meaningful assignment, Jones is running for the Leon County School Board Seat 3.

“Having been a volunteer at so many youth programs around the city I was very much aware of the achievement gap in District 3 schools,” said Jones. “I believe that my business acumen as well as my work in economic development is a perspective missing from our school board.”

Jones believes if the school board wants to remedy the achievement gap it is going to require new voices with an entirely different perspectives to bring the type of change that District 3 needs.

“As a person who has lived in the District 3 area for 30 years I am genuinely interested in the quality of the lives of the people who I call my neighbors,” said Jones. “I think I have the type of experiences, resourcefulness and perspective to bring a brand new energy to the school board that regrettably is missing from our conversation now.”

Jones has had plans to run for the last five or six years but deferred to the incumbent. But, since things had not gotten better since the last time he ran, Jones felt compelled to run because he believed that his neighbors needed him.

“Darryl will mobilize and re-energize our school district  because that is what he does,” said Christic Henry, managing broker at Kingdom First Realty and close friend of Jones. “He is someone the parents and families in this district will reach out to when they need help and he will be accountable to bring relevant issues and opportunities before the school board.”

Jones says his time at FAMU helped mold him to become the person that he is today. He is thankful to have chosen to attend the HBCU and believes it plays a big part in his desire to help his community.

“Florida A&M University helped me to dream boldly, think widely and be able to embrace my great potential,” said Jones. “My FAMU experience has shaped who I am as an adult and as a public servant.”