Cyol With Jeremy Ryan Slate Archive 1

About This Episode: Vernon Jones was reared on a tobacco farm in Laurel Hill, North Carolina. He was 5th of six children born in a four room cinder block house with no indoor plumbing. His parents Robert and Rufer Jones taught him the value of faith, hard work, self-reliance and self-respect. Prior to public service, Jones had a successful career in corporate America, including Fortune 500 companies such as BellSouth Mobility and MCI Worldcom, and President of the Henry Oliver Company, a consulting firm established by Jones. As the former Chief Executive Officer of DeKalb County, Georgia, Jones managed nearly 7,000 employees and directed the day-to-day county operations, which included managing one of the largest police departments in Georgia. Jones successfully balanced budgets, secured dual AAA bond ratings from Moody’s and Standard & Poors, preserved over 4,000 acres of greenspace, and passed four bond referenda for libraries, parks, and infrastructure improvements. His 12 years record as a Georgia Sta