Linda Jones

Linda Jones brings extensive experience across mental health, K-12, and higher education to her role in academia. She spent 5 to 6 years as a substance abuse and mental health counselor, including work with the Mississippi Band of Choctaw Indians and as a children's specialist in public schools, before transitioning to 10 years in K-12 education and then 23 years in higher education. Jones earned her PhD in Educational Leadership and Supervision from Jackson State University in 2003, along with an education specialist degree in school and guidance counseling and a master's degree in community and mental health counseling, with specialties in psychology, sociology, and social work. At her university, she teaches qualitative research to doctoral students, chairs dissertations, and has successfully guided over 100 students to graduation. She founded an academic journal in 2012 that is indexed in ERIC and Google Scholar. Jones is a member of the American Association of University Professors, the North Carolina Association of School Leaders, and AERA. She also supports the Autism Association through donations, motivated by her grandson on the spectrum.