Biography

The Rev. Dr. Shonda R. Jones joined Brite in 2025 as Academic Dean and Executive Vice President.

Jones previously served as the Assistant Dean of Academic Programs at Wake Forest University School of Professional Studies, where she spearheaded the strategic and academic leadership for the school's comprehensive graduate degree and certificate portfolio. Dr. Jones's impactful tenure at Wake Forest began in the School of Divinity, where she served as Senior Associate Dean of Strategic Initiatives and Integrative Learning, and Assistant Teaching Professor in Intercultural Theological Education. As a visionary senior administrator, she focused on integrative student learning, fostering equity and belonging, and developing intercultural leadership capacities and competencies that rely on liberative frameworks necessary to navigate and lead effectively in diverse global contexts. Her pedagogical work with Master of Divinity students was deeply informed by intercultural theories and aimed at developing critical and practical competencies in future theological leaders. At the Divinity School at Wake Forest University, Dr. Jones developed academic programs and spearheaded innovative initiatives to explore new opportunities across a variety of degree programs and outward-facing offerings.

Prior to joining Wake Forest, Dr. Jones was an Associate Dean at Candler School of Theology, Emory University, where she provided leadership for student services offices, managed a significant operational and scholarship budget, and successfully attracted a diverse student body. Her career also includes positions at Perkins School of Theology, Southern Methodist University. An ordained Elder in The United Methodist Church, Horizon Texas Annual Conference, Dr. Jones's work is consistently informed by her faith and her commitment to fostering inclusive and thriving faith communities. She is co-editor of the book Transforming Service: Reflections of Student Services Professionals in Theological Education.

Jones earned a Bachelor of Arts from Texas Christian University, a Master of Divinity from Brite Divinity School, and a Doctor of Education in Higher Education (Educational Leadership, Policy, and Technology Studies) from the University of Alabama. Her scholarly interests include faith and health, the socio-racial dynamics influencing educational choice, and her focus broadly examines intercultural practices that promote thriving with and among leaders and communities. Her approach to addressing health disparities is explicitly framed through the theological lenses of hope, liberation, and social justice, emphasizing transformative action. She has done particularly meaningful work in building capacity of faith communities to address the HIV crisis especially within African American and LGBTQ+ populations.