Anna Faith Johnson Jones

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Anna Faith Johnson Jones is an American community activist who was the first Black woman to lead a major community foundation.

Contents

Early life and education

Jones is the youngest child of Howard University's first Black president, Mordecai Wyatt Johnson. [1]

Jones graduated from Wellesley College in 1954 with a bachelors in music history. She went on to study musicology at Columbia University, graduating with her master's degree in 1956. [2]

Community work

Prior to her work at the Boston Foundation, Jones worked as a real estate broker and a music librarian at MIT. [1]

Jones joined The Boston Foundation in 1974. She served as assistant director and later as associate director. In 1985, she was named president of the foundation, [3] becoming the first Black woman to lead a major community foundation, and she held that leadership role until 2001.

In 1985, Jones was appointed as a board member for the Bank of New England. [4] In 1998, Jones was elected chair of the Board of Directors of the Council on Foundations. [5] She also served as a Senior Director for the NAACP Legal Defense Fund. [6]

The Anna Faith Jones and Frieda Garcia Women of Color Leadership Circle, a program run by the Boston Women's Fund, was inspired by Jones and Garcia and named in their honor. [7]

Awards

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References

  1. 1 2 Trescott, Jacqueline (1985-04-27). "Lessons of Her Father: Anna Faith Jones, on a Firm Foundation". The Washington Post. pp. C1. ProQuest   138684254.
  2. 1 2 "Alumae Achievement Awards 1994 - Anna Faith Johnson Jones". Wellesley College. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  3. "Newton woman named to lead Boston-area charitable fund". The Boston Globe. 1985-01-30. p. 62.
  4. Teltsch, Kathleen (1985-06-02). "HEAD OF BOSTON CHARITY LOOKS TO NEIGHBORHOODS". The New York Times. ISSN   0362-4331 . Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  5. "History of the Council on Foundations" (PDF). Council on Foundations. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  6. "LDF@70 - 70 Years Fulfilling the Promise of Equality" (PDF). NAACP Legal Defense Fund. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  7. "The Women of Color Leadership Circle". Boston Women's Fund. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  8. University of Massachusetts Boston (1986-06-16). "Scenes from Commencement '86". News & Views. 4 (15): 2.
  9. "Anna Faith Jones receives an honorary Doctor of Humane Letters at UMass Boston commencement, 1986". openarchives.umb.edu. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  10. "Honorary Degrees Granted by Boston College" (PDF). Boston College. Archived from the original (PDF) on 2016-04-03. Retrieved 2024-02-01.
  11. "Academy of Women Achievers Members". YW Boston. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  12. "Annual Report 2012". The Boston Foundation. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  13. "The Distinguished Service Award Recipients". Council on Foundations. 2013-12-18. Retrieved 2024-01-31.
  14. "Pinnacle Awards Past Honorees 2022" (PDF). Greater Boston Chamber of Commerce. Retrieved 2024-01-31.