Shrewdness Guides, But Kindness Always Wins
This is my first candidacy for public office. I have successfully interacted with all levels of the federal government while working in industry and in national non-profit organizations. But I can honestly say that it is the many middle and high school civics students whom I have taught through the years who have seasoned me best to help transform Congress into what it should be in 2020. To kids, basic common sense, a deep appreciation of fairness, and a "just show me progress" attitude rules the day when it comes to figuring out how to get meaningful things done for people. I have found that it works for me too.
I currently work independently as an Enterprise Learning Consultant & Workplace Training Designer (learn-thrive.com). Things have slowed down for me considerably during the Covid crisis, but I am still at it plugging away like many of you! Thankfully, during the crisis (and for many years now) I have also held down a second job on nights and weekends as a part-time hourly crew member for airlines at local airports near where I’ve lived. These days I am one of those part-time workers with the orange wands guiding planes and loading bags for Horizon Air (Alaska) at Tri-Cities Airport (PSC) in Pasco. (Say hello when you are boarding if you see me out there!)
Before going out on my own in business in 2014, I was an educator. I taught Civics and American Government in middle and high school classrooms and also served as a school Dean and Headmaster (Principal) during 15 years in education. Earlier in life I had the opportunity to work in industry as an issues management executive (mainly in the Paper & Forest Products sector) and also to serve several years as Director of Communications and National Spokesperson for the Keep America Beautiful non-profit organization (kab.org).
I received my BA from Kenyon College (Ohio) in Sociology. I also did graduate study at the London School of Economics (Policy & Planning). I completed JROTC training in high school (New York Military Academy) and completed the U.S. Marine Corps Platoon Leaders Class (PLC) and Officer Candidate School at Quantico, Virginia during peacetime in 1980.
Service has long been a guiding principle in my life. Most recently I have helped to develop a non-profit locally, Tri-Cities Beautiful (tricitiesbeautiful.org) which will become a service organization focused on volunteer-driven community improvement projects, neighborhood beautification efforts, and citizen-learning programs on litter-prevention, recycling and cost-effective community waste management. We had hoped to launch TCB on Earth Day in April of this year, but the pandemic intervened so we will try again in Fall 2020.
For years I have also worked in communities as a volunteer Red Cross Life-guarding and CPR/First Aid Instructor and worked near home with various youth-focused non-profits such as Boys & Girls Clubs, Big Brothers/Big Sisters, and in boys and girls summer camps.
"I have learned more about making good things happen with teamwork and simple common sense while working as a middle school classroom teacher and as a part-time airline ground operations worker than in all of my other professional work combined. Just stay positive, always keep things moving forward...ever steady and decisive... and always taking care to look after the people around you. When you do that every day, good things happen!"
Ev Jones (shown here marshaling in a flight at the airport)
Copyright © 2020 Ev Jones -- Independent for U.S. Congress - All Rights Reserved. congress@evanjones.us