Benjamin F. Jones (born December 24, 1966) is an American historian and academic administrator who is State Historian of

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux language, Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the West North Central states, North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota people, Lakota and Dakota peo ...

and Director of the

South Dakota State Historical Society The South Dakota State Historical Society is South Dakota's official state historical society and operates statewide but is headquartered in Pierre, South Dakota at 900 Governors Drive. It is a part of the South Dakota Department of Education. Hi ...

. He was previously Secretary of Education of South Dakota from January 2019 to December 2020. Jones was born in Sioux Falls, South Dakota and graduated from DeSmet High School in South Dakota. He earned a

bachelor's degree A bachelor's degree (from Middle Latin ''baccalaureus'') or baccalaureate (from Modern Latin ''baccalaureatus'') is an undergraduate academic degree awarded by colleges and universities upon completion of a course of study lasting three to six ...

in history from

South Dakota State University South Dakota State University is a public land-grant research university in Brookings, South Dakota. Founded in 1881, it is the state's largest and most comprehensive university and the oldest continually-operating university in South Dakota. The ...

, a

master's degree A master's degree (from Latin ) is an academic degree awarded by universities or colleges upon completion of a course of study demonstrating mastery or a high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice.

from the

University of Nebraska–Lincoln The University of Nebraska–Lincoln (Nebraska, NU, or UNL) is a public land-grant research university in Lincoln, Nebraska. Chartered in 1869 by the Nebraska Legislature as part of the Morrill Act of 1862, the school was known as the Universit ...

, and a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

from the

University of Kansas The University of Kansas (KU) is a public research university with its main campus in Lawrence, Kansas, United States, and several satellite campuses, research and educational centers, medical centers, and classes across the state of Kansas. Tw ...

. He served 23 years in the

United States Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

, where he attained the rank of

lieutenant colonel Lieutenant colonel ( , ) is a rank of commissioned officers in the armies, most marine forces and some air forces of the world, above a major and below a colonel. Several police forces in the United States use the rank of lieutenant colone ...

, and taught at the Air Force Academy. Jones was dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Dakota State University from 2013 to 2019. In January 2019 he was appointed interim Secretary of Education by Governor Kristi Noem, and in May 2019 he was named permanent secretary. On December 9, 2020, Jones left to become State Historian, replacing Jay Vogt. He was replaced as Secretary of Education by Tiffany Sanderson, formerly a member of Noem's senior staff. As secretary, Jones led the development of the department's 2019 strategic plan, which prioritizes reducing the achievement gap for students in poverty and improving academic performance among Native Americans. He has also supported legislation to expand civic education in the state. In 2016, Jones published ''Eisenhower’s Guerrillas: The Jedburghs, the Maquis, and the Liberation of France'', which examines Operation Jedburgh and is based on his 1998 Master's thesis. Jones lives in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

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* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ben Living people 1966 births South Dakota State University alumni University of Nebraska–Lincoln alumni University of Kansas alumni Educators from South Dakota United States Air Force Academy faculty Dakota State University faculty Writers from Sioux Falls, South Dakota