Jo Jones

Jolanda "Jo" Jones rose from a childhood of poverty and tragedy to membership in numerous Halls of Fame, a CNN Hero, a 4-time national track and field champion, a basketball All-American, a Rhodes Scholar nominee, a successful businesswoman, author, and an unapologetic human rights activist, a Houston City Council member and school board Trustee. Today, Jolanda serves as a Texas State Representative for House District 147. She has a proven track record of leadership, commitment, charitable work, and teamwork and is a highly sought-after public speaker. Jolanda has distinguished herself legally, garnering prestigious legal awards. Her courtroom expertise helped shut down Houston Police Department’s Crime Lab that faked lab results that convicted innocents and allowed the guilty to go free. She defeated a powerful politician by reuniting an African mom with her child whom that politician had stolen. Her legal acumen has won multiple murder cases and serious felonies. Her business is 24 years old. She has been the moral conscience and the voice of the disadvantaged and disenfranchised in every elected body she has served. She is a go-to person who fights for and stands up to those who seek to oppress. Jolanda is a TV personality on CBS’s Survivor Palau and was the star of WEtv’s Sisters in Law. Her second book, Owning My S.H.I.T! (Suffering Hardship Internalizing Trauma), is an Amazon bestseller. She also coauthored ScholAthlete’s Survival Guide ~ Essential Study Skills for the Scholar Athlete.