Ella Jones is an American chromatographer, pastor, and politician who serves as the 12th mayor of

Ferguson, Missouri Ferguson is a city in St. Louis County, Missouri, United States. It is part of the Greater St. Louis metropolitan area. Per the 2020 census, the population was 18,527. History What is now the city of Ferguson was founded in 1855, when William ...

. A former member of the Ferguson City Council, Jones is the first African-American and woman elected mayor of the city.

Education

Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in chemistry from the

University of Missouri–St. Louis The University of Missouri–St. Louis (UMSL) is a public research university in St. Louis, Missouri. Established in 1963, it is one of four universities in the University of Missouri System and its newest. Located on the former grounds of Bel ...

Career

Prior to entering politics, Jones was a high pressure liquid chromatographer. She worked at the

Washington University School of Medicine Washington University School of Medicine (WUSM) is the medical school of Washington University in St. Louis in St. Louis, Missouri. Founded in 1891, the School of Medicine has 1,260 students, 604 of which are pursuing a medical degree with ...

and KV Pharmaceutical before becoming a sales director with

Mary Kay Mary Kay Inc. is an American privately owned multi-level marketing company. According to '' Direct Selling News'', Mary Kay was the sixth largest network marketing company in the world in 2018, with a wholesale volume of US$3.25 billion.

. In April 2015, Jones was the first African-American elected to the Ferguson City Council, where she represented the city's first ward. In February 2020, Jones was selected to serve on the

United States Environmental Protection Agency The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) is an independent executive agency of the United States federal government tasked with environmental protection matters. President Richard Nixon proposed the establishment of EPA on July 9, 1970; it ...

Local Government Advisory Committee. In the 2017 municipal election, Jones ran for mayor, receiving 42.77% of the vote. It was the city's first election after the shooting of Michael Brown and subsequent

Ferguson unrest The Ferguson unrest (sometimes called the Ferguson uprising, Ferguson protests, or the Ferguson riots) were a series of protests and riots which began in Ferguson, Missouri on August 10, 2014, the day after the fatal shooting of Michael Bro ...

. In the June 2, 2020 mayoral election, Jones defeated fellow council member Heather Robinett. Jones succeeded incumbent

James Knowles III James Wallace Knowles III (born July 20, 1979) is an American politician who served as the 11th Mayor of the city of Ferguson, Missouri, from April 2011 to June 2020. Early life and education Knowles received bachelor's degrees in political scie ...

, a Republican who was unable to seek re-election due to term limits. On June 17, 2020, Jones was sworn in as the first black and female mayor of Ferguson. She is also a pastor in the

African Methodist Episcopal Church The African Methodist Episcopal Church, usually called the AME Church or AME, is a predominantly African American Methodist denomination. It adheres to Wesleyan-Arminian theology and has a connexional polity. The African Methodist Episcopal ...

Electoral history

Personal life

Jones moved to

with her husband, Tim. Tim Jones died in 2013. Jones has one daughter.

References

External links

Ella Jones for Mayor
campaign website
Ella Jones
biography on the City of Ferguson, Missouri website {{DEFAULTSORT:Jones, Ella Missouri Democrats University of Missouri–St. Louis alumni African-American mayors in Missouri Women mayors of places in Missouri Politicians from St. Louis County, Missouri Chromatography Year of birth missing (living people) Living people