17th President of Paine College
Dr. Cheryl Evans Jones began serving as the 17th President of Paine College in 2019. Since her tenure as President, Paine College has achieved significant accomplishments including institutional accreditation by the Transnational Association of Christian College and Schools (TRACS), approval to offer distance education by TRACS, approval for participation in Division I South of the National Christian College Athletic Association (NCCAA), partnering with the Augusta National Golf Club which established two endowed scholarships in the name of Lee Elder and a women’s golf team for the first time in the College’s history, a grant in the amount of $1.4 million from Augusta-Richmond County Commission to mitigate the effects of COVID-19, and accreditation of the Department of Business Administration by the Accreditation Council of Business School Programs (ACBSP).
Dr. Jones has over 28 years of experience in higher education at Paine College having first joined the faculty in January 1993 as a full-time Assistant Professor of Psychology. In 1999, she was promoted to the rank of Associate Professor and in 2001, she earned Tenure status. Dr. Jones was twice recipient of the “Evelyn Berry Teacher of the Year” Award (2002 and 1998). She was a recipient of the Vulcan Materials Company “Teaching Excellence Award-2001” presented by Vulcan Materials Company and the Georgia Foundation for Independent Colleges, Inc. “in recognition of outstanding contributions to undergraduate education, student learning, and campus life.
During her tenure at Paine, Dr. Jones has held several administrative positions of increasing responsibility: Coordinator of the Department of Psychology, Interim Chair of the Division of Social Sciences, Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, Interim Vice President of Academic Affairs, Executive Assistant to the President which included Title III Coordinator and Director of Planning and Evaluation, Acting Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, Provost and Vice President of Academic Affairs, and Acting President.
Dr. Jones is the recipient of the Perry Broadcasting of Augusta “Education Professional of the Year” Award (2019), the Augusta City Classic “Andrew Jefferson Leadership Award” (2019), the Augusta Branch of the National Association of University Women “Citizen of the Year” Award, and the first recipient of the Rosa T. Beard Legacy Award. Along with other female presidents of UNCF institutions, Dr. Jones was recently honored at the 20th Anniversary of the Maya Angelou Women Who Lead Luncheon held in Charlotte.
A native of Augusta, Dr. Jones received the Bachelor of Arts degree in Psychology summa cum laude from Fisk University (Nashville, Tennessee). While at Fisk University, she was inducted into Phi Beta Kappa, the nation’s oldest honor society for the liberal arts and sciences. She received the Master of Arts and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Clinical-Child/Developmental Psychology from The Ohio State University (Columbus, Ohio).
Dr. Jones is an active member of Christ Presbyterian Church (USA) where she serves as a Ruling Elder on Session and Treasurer of the Ellis-Harris Presbyterian Women. In the Augusta community, Dr. Jones is Vice President of Membership for The Augusta (GA) Chapter of The Links, Incorporated, a member of the Rotary Club of Augusta, and the Morris Museum of Art’s Honorary Board. She is a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated. Dr. Jones is a 2009 graduate of Leadership Augusta and served on its Board of Directors.
Dr. Jones was married to the late Dr. George Evans Jones, a Paine College alumnus.