VCK Democratic Women and the Gateway Community Association join for an evening of conversation with the Jones on February 28, 2023 at 5:30pm the the Central Theatre in Hot Springs. The event is a fundraiser for the Gateway Community of Hot Springs, an historic district near downtown Hot Springs with the mission “to bring residents, property owners and businesses together to address the needs, issues and problems of the Gateway Community."
Tickets are $30 each, and 2023 VCK members get in free. Buy tickets here https://www.vckdemocraticwomen.com/events
Here's more information about the Jones!
DR. JERRILYN JONES
Jerrilyn Jones, MD, MPH, is an Associate Professor of Emergency Medicine at the University of Arkansas for Medical Sciences (UAMS) and the Medical Director for the Office of Preparedness and Emergency Response Systems at the Arkansas Department of Health (ADH). She was very active in the state’s response to the COVID 19 Pandemic having been named to Governor Asa Hutchinson’s Winter Task Force and serving as part of ADH’s Pandemic Physicians Group. In addition to her practice in emergency medicine and public health, Dr. Jones has extensive experience in Emergency Medical Services (EMS) having worked as medical director for both a paramedic training program and a private ambulance service where she was charged with ensuring the competency and readiness of Nationally Registered EMS personnel.
Her practical expertise includes working at the finish line as a first responder during the Boston Marathon bombing of 2013 and also as a first receiver during the civil unrest in Baltimore in 2015. Most recently, she was named Director of UAMS’s inaugural Post-Baccalaureate Program created to increase the number of students from disadvantaged backgrounds admitted to the College of Medicine. In 2021, she was named Arkansas First Lady’s Woman of the Year in Public Service.
She graduated from Harvard Medical School and completed her residency and fellowship with Boston Medical Center and Boston EMS, respectively. She is a former Flight Surgeon in the United States Air Force and served in Afghanistan with the 75th Fighter Squadron during Operation Enduring Freedom. Her passion lies in responding to real world disasters and emergencies, as well as educating medical students, residents, paramedics and the community at large.
DR. CHRIS JONES
Dr. Chris Jones grew up in Pine Bluff, Arkansas. A son of two preachers, Chris was raised with a strong sense of faith. He attended Morehouse College on a NASA Scholarship for physics and math, then went on to study at MIT becoming a nuclear engineer and earning a Ph.D. in urban planning.
After becoming ordained as a minister, Chris returned home to Arkansas and led the Arkansas Regional Innovation Hub. Through this work, he has seen firsthand how disparities within Arkansas have gotten worse, not better. He believes there is much room for growth, including improving public education opportunities in every community, strengthening infrastructure from roads to broadband access, protecting and securing our right to vote, and bridging the rural and urban divide.
Chris has faith in Arkansas’s potential, and he is running for governor to ensure every person in Arkansas has an opportunity to succeed. Dr. Jones was the Democratic Gubernatorial Candidate for the state of Arkansas in 2022.