Advocate and community leader Dr. Althea Taylor Jones joined Friday Facts on May 26, 2023.
Dr. Jones shares about her biography and the path that has brought her from childhood to her role as as Professor and Gerontology Program Administrator at Winston-Salem State University and, since retirement, into statewide leadership advancing policy and conversations that impact aging North Carolinians.
You can learn more about her exceptional experience in a more complete biography below the video.
Bio of Dr. Althea Taylor Jones
- 1998 – PhD (Human Development and Graduate Certificate in Gerontology), VA Tech, Blacksburg, VA
- 1980 – MA (Rehabilitation Psychology and Counselor Education), Appalachian State University, Boone, NC
- 1968 – BS (Therapeutic Recreation), Tennessee State University, Nashville, TN
Retired in 2009 after serving since 2002 as Professor and Gerontology Program Administrator at Winston-Salem State University, Winston-Salem, NC. Other appointments between 1971 and 2002 included Director of University Counseling Services at Winston-Salem State University; Adjunct Professor of Education, Psychology, Social Work, Sociology, Gerontology, Human Development and Rehabilitation Studies at WSSU, NC A&T State University, High Point University and Wake Forest University (undergraduate and graduate); Rehabilitation Counselor and Counselor-In-Charge for Vocational Rehabilitation Services; and Programs Supervisor for North Carolina Department of Corrections.
Gerontological Emphases: Developer of workshops, seminars, and conferences, facilitator of lectures and forums, and keynote speaker on the local, state, regional, national and international levels – Topics include Issues on Aging; Social Support Networks; Health Promotion and Wellness; Stress Management; Pre-Retirement Planning; Post-Retirement Adjustment; Family Resiliency; Dying, Death & Bereavement; Long-Term Care Planning; Effective Grassroots Advocacy and other topics. Certified Master Trainer of Lay Leaders in Chronic Disease Self-Management, Diabetes Self-Management and Chronic Pain Self-Management, for the North Carolina Division of Aging and Adult Services, and the Piedmont Triad Regional Council Area Agency on Agency, in collaboration with Stanford University and the Self-Management Resource Center. Certified (MOST) Facilitator – Medical Orders for Scope of Treatment, for Trellis Supportive Care, to assist with preparation of end-of-life documents.
Community Service Activities: North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature – Forsyth County Alternate and Delegate (2006-Present), Past Chairperson of the Health/Wellness/Prevention/Quality-of-Life Committee (2010-2015), Current Chairperson of the Advocacy Committee (20172021); NC AARP – Past Executive Council Member, current Legislative Advocate and Age-Friendly/Livable Communities Representative; AARP Triad Region – Current Leadership Team Member and Facilitator of Fraud Watch, HomeFit, CarFit and Living Longer, Living Smarter workshops; Forsyth AARP Chapter # 1797 – Mentor and Executive Board Member; Piedmont Triad Regional Council, Area Agency on Aging, Past Chair of Regional Advisory Council on Aging, Current Member of the Forsyth County Aging Services Planning Committee and Senior Power Think Tank SubCommittee and Home and Community Care Block Grant Advisory Council.
Key Awards – Post-Retirement:
- 2023 – GRITS Award (Gerontologists Rooted in The South) – SGS
- 2022 – Appointed to the UNC Institute on Aging, Task Force on Healthy Aging
- 2021 – Elected President of Southern Gerontological Society – (SGS)
- 2021 – Appointed to ACAPcommunity Board of Directors – (Adult Children of Aging Parents)
- 2020 – Appointed to ACAPcommunity Curriculum Advisory Council – (Adult Children of Aging Parents)
- 2020 – Spark Seven Over Seventy, Senior Award – Winston-Salem Journal & Senior Services, Inc.
- 2019 – Pioneer Award for long-term service to older adults – [NC Coalition on Aging]
- 2019 – Community Service Award – “For Seniors Only” The Winston-Salem Chronicle
- 2019 – Elected President-Elect and Chairperson of Development Committee of Southern Gerontological Society- (SGS)
- 2018 – AARP Andrus Award – Most prestigious award presented by AARP
- 2018 – City/Community Leadership Award, granted by the National Women of Achievement (NWOA)
- 2018 – Older Advocate Award – Southern Gerontological Society
- 2015 – Elected Speaker – [North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature 2015-2017]
- 2014 – Master Trainer Certification (Chronic Pain Self-Management); Stanford University – PTRC/Area Agency on Aging
- 2013 – Elected Speaker Pro Tempore [North Carolina Senior Tar Heel Legislature 2013-2015]
- 2012 – Certified Facilitator (MOST) – End-of-Life Planning (Hospice & Palliative Care/Trellis Supportive Care)
- 2012 – Master Trainer Certification (Diabetes Self-Management); Stanford University – PTRC/Area Agency on Aging
- 2009 – Master Trainer Certification (Chronic Disease Self-Management); Stanford University – PTRC/Area Agency on Aging
- 2009 – Outstanding Service Award – Association for Gerontology in Higher Education – (AGHE)
- 2009 – Bronze Club Sponsored Programs Award – Winston-Salem State University
She established and served as consultant for a Family Life Enrichment Center to include a Senior Social Support Program, After School Youth Tutorial Program, and a CKC (Community Knowledge Center), Computer Laboratory in collaboration with Winston-Salem State University. All initiatives were community-based, intergenerational programs, at Zion Memorial Missionary Baptist Church, Winston-Salem, NC, where her husband, the Rev. Dr. Joseph Jones served as pastor from 1981-2016 (retired May 1, 2016). She has published numerous articles in various print media on a variety of topics. She is the author of the book “Colorful Memories: Aging with Style,” published by R. H. Boyd Publications, Incorporated, Nashville, TN in 2007. She co-authored the book “Goose Sense”, with her husband the Rev. Dr. Joseph Jones, also published by R.H. Boyd Publications, in 2014. They have been married since 1967. She is the mother of two, grandmother of six and great grandmother of two, and the eldest sibling, representing the second generation of a five-generation family.
About Friday Facts
Friday Facts is a short (8:30 – 9:00AM), bimonthly, news style “show” designed to provide healthcare providers, professionals, and the public with the latest updates on a variety of topics and features different guest speakers each week. Get more information and view more interviews here.
