Lucy Jones is the former Coordinator of TRIO Programs at the University of Arkansas Rich Mountain in Mena, Arkansas, and the 2005-06 Chair for the Council for Opportunity in Education Board of Directors. She has been working in TRIO programs for over thirty-one years; while at UA Rich Mountain, she coordinated the efforts of four TRIO programs: SSS, EOC, ETS, and UB. Prior to coming to UA Rich Mountain, Lucy was a Special Education Instructor at Mena High School for eleven years, where she taught language arts skills to learning disabled students.
She holds a B.S. and M.S. in Education from Henderson State University and has certifications in English and Adult Education, with post-graduate work in Postsecondary Administration. She is a former president and current member of Delta Kappa Gamma, an organization of professional women teachers. Lucy has also served as President-Elect, President, and Past President of SWASAP and AASAP, regional and state TRIO associations, as well as chair of the Council for Opportunity in Education (COE).
For the past twelve years, Lucy has performed consulting services for colleges, universities, and non-profit agencies nationwide in areas of legislative and regulatory workshops, compliance assessment reviews, and TRIO proposal writing seminars at national, regional, and state conferences. Lucy has served as a faculty member for UNLV, UCO, CSU, and COE training grants in topics covering budgeting, evaluation, Annual Performance Report reviews, retention and graduation strategies, legislation and regulations, and internal control strategies.
Lucy is a past recipient of the Outstanding Staff Member Award from the Arkansas Association of Two-Year Colleges; also, she was honored with the establishment of the Lucy Jones International Access Scholarship from the Southwest Association of Student Assistance Programs (SWASAP) and the Walter O. Mason award from COE. Lucy is married to Thomas Jones, a retired rural mail carrier for the U.S. Postal Service in Mena. They have one daughter, Paula, who is a graduate of Harding University, majoring in accounting and management information systems, and who is employed by Walmart Corporate Headquarters in Bentonville, Arkansas.