 Dr. Jones comes to the Department of Defense (DoD) following 30 years of administrative liaison experience in public, legislative, educational and private settings, and as a consultant in government relations, business development and strategic planning. In making the announcement, Dr. Winkenwerder said, "He hails from the great state of South Carolina and comes to us with a strong leadership background in healthcare, legislative affairs and executive management. He will assist me and the Military Health System by taking the lead in several key areas to include strategic planning, legislative affairs, communications and the important work with our many federal partners. I am glad to have him on board and look forward to his leadership contributions."
Following graduation from college and service in the U.S. Army, Dr. Jones became, in 1972, the county's first full-time director of the Greenville, S.C., Commission on Drug Abuse, which he merged with another organization to form the Commission on Drug and Alcohol Abuse. In this role, he administered the county's programs, managed grant development and lead strategic planning efforts. He left South Carolina in1974 to become Executive Assistant to the Honorable Senator Strom Thurmond, and a staff member of the Senate Judiciary Subcommittee for Administrative Practices and Procedures. Following this position, Dr. Jones became Chief of Staff and Administrative Assistant for the Honorable Thomas F. Hartnett, Member of Congress in 1981, and then, in 1982, became Chief of Staff and Administrative Assistant to the Honorable James B. Edwards, Department of Energy. At DoE, he assisted the Secretary in formulation of Department policies on nuclear waste legislation and natural gas deregulation, and assisted with the Department's reorganization efforts.
From 1982 to 2001, Dr. Jones served as Chief of Staff for the President and Director of Federal and External Relations, and then Director of Federal Relations and Economic Development for the Medical University of South Carolina, an Academic Health Science Center with a staff and faculty of 8,000, a budget of nearly one billion dollars, five hospitals and other associated outpatient facilities, and a student body of 2,800.
Dr. Jones holds a Bachelor of Science degree from Clemson University (1968), a Master of Social Work from the University of South Carolina (1972), and a Doctor of Health Administration from the Medical University of South Carolina (1999). Dr. Jones is a member of the Board of Directors for the South Carolina Federal Credit Union, the South Carolina Biotechnology Incubation Program and the Scenic Black River Advisory Council. He served as a U.S. Army military intelligence officer from 1968 to 1970, with tours in Washington, D.C., and Turkey. The primary mission of the Military Health System (MHS) is to ensure the nation has available at all times a healthy fighting force and the ability to support DoD missions worldwide.
The DoD Office of Health Affairs is responsible for providing a cost effective, quality health benefit to 9.1 million active duty uniformed services' members, retirees, survivors and their families. The MHS has a $26 billion annual budget and consists of a worldwide network of 70 military hospitals, 500 health clinics, private-sector health business partners, and the Uniformed Services University. |
