Dale Jones grew up in Dallas with a strong work ethic, helping his father clean country clubs on weekends. He attended Morehouse College, studied business and urban planning, and started his career in banking at C&S National Bank (now Bank of America). He later worked in development at Morehouse before leading a
group organizing churches, civic groups and others around legacy community projects for the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. Known for bringing coalitions together, Jones then pivoted into executive recruiting at Heidrick & Struggles at the urging of a mentor. He later worked with Steve Case’s Revolution fund and eventually
became CEO of Diversified Search. Throughout, Jones served on numerous boards. On boards, Jones believes directors must be stewards of public trust beyond shareholders’ interests. He advocates term limits to open more seats for diversity. He credits board service for teaching leadership and emotional intelligence.
Jones emphasizes passion, business savvy, financial literacy and creativity as key strengths in a director. He believes boards should have more moral urgency on economic mobility and not underestimate the talent pipeline’s importance. While not supporting mandates, Jones endorses incentives and accountability for diversity. He stresses that directors of color carry added weight to yield influence and impact. Overall, Jones wants his legacy to be that the companies he served are better off and that he opened doors for others. He advises aspiring directors to be authentic and speak courageously.
