Fred A. Jones, Jr., Policy Director at the Aurora Institute, has been appointed to The Linked Learning Alliance’s Board of Directors (Alliance).

The Alliance’s mission is to give students the supports they need by integrating academics with real-world learning and strong support services to prepare students for success in college, career, and life. As the pandemic continues to expose inequities in our schools and communities and the national reckoning with racial injustice highlights the critical need for more equitable opportunities for all students, Fred will be a key thought partner in advancing evidence-based policies that help ensure every young person is engaged in rigorous and relevant education that helps them discover their purpose. 

“I am absolutely thrilled to join the Alliance’s Board of Directors,” said Jones. “When I reflect on my own high school experience, I realize that my high school years were unequivocally transformative. I learned through real-world experiences what connected me to my community and my dreams for the future. Policy plays a key role in creating the capacity, conditions, and culture for sustained education transformation that connects rigorous academics with career success. I look forward to working with the Alliance to ensure more young people have access to these pivotal and personalized educational experiences that not only change lives, but also drive the revolution in education that is needed.”

Before joining the Aurora Institute, Fred served as the Director of Government Affairs and Public Policy for the Southern Education Foundation as well as theDirector of Education Innovation for Trident United Way in Charleston, SC. Fred began his career at the U.S. House of Representatives working for the Education and Labor Committee. He also served as a Legislative Associate for the Alliance for Excellent Education and the Director of Government Affairs for the United Negro College Fund.