BLACK HISTORY MONTH ‘23

For Black History Month 2023, As editor, I am taking the liberty to bring light to one of our neophyte brothers. Usually we highlight some of the pioneers within Alpha who have made considerable impact. We often times wait, until some brothers enter into Omega Chapter as well, to give them the flowers they are due.

Fortunately, my predecessor, Bro. Kenneth Williams, gave me an amazing platform and three years of dedication to brothers of the chapter from all walks of life. This allows me the priveledge to highlight Black Excellence within the ranks of Mu Lambda from a youthful stance.

Quiet as it is kept, Brother A.J. Jones, has lept through multiple ranks of leadership and growth within his professional journey in Washington D.C. Bro. Jones started at Starbucks as Senior Vice President of Global Communications and Public Affairs in October of 2021. He was the first African American to hold this role and title.

He was then promoted to Acting Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer in May of 2022 and also the first African American to hold this role and title. Later in August of 2022, Bro. Jones was permanently installed as Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer and currently holds this role.

This title was given recognition by PRvoke Media which is the largest global advertising and communications ranking institute. They just released their 10th Annual Innovator 25 class noting public relation’s most forwardlooking thinkers, individuals taking the lead, and the risk, in advancing the industry through ingenuity at a time when the winds of change of demand it. It is the first time an Alpha Man has been acknowledged by PRvoke Media for this distinction.

Bro. Jones was featured by PR week as a leader on Employee Engagement at Starbucks. His appointment to be the first African American Executive Vice President, Chief Communications and Public Affairs Officer was ranking as one of the top 12 most viewed stories in 2022 https://www.provokemedia.com/longreads/article/2022-review-top-12-newsstories https://www.successfundamentals.com/ communication-time-with-aj-jones-ii/

A.J. was also inducted to be a member of the Arthur Page Society. The Arthur Page Society is the world’s leading professional association for senior public relations and corporate communications executives and educators. Their members participate in Page to become stronger leaders, learn both with and from their peers around the world, develop their teams and enrich and strengthen the profession.

Page membership consists of chief communications officers (CCOs) of global Fortune-ranked corporations and leading nonprofits, the CEOs of the world’s foremost public relations agencies, and distinguished academics from top business and communications schools. Page has strict membership criteria to ensure it remains an exclusive assembly of the very best and brightest of the profession.

Recently Bro. Jones was featured on a leading global podcast called Success Fundamentals. My episode received the highest ranking and listenership on the show.

In this episode of the Success Fundamentals podcast, Kris and Brian talk to Senior Vice-President and Head of Global Communications and Public Affairs for Starbucks, Aranthan “AJ” Jones II. AJ shares good advice for people wanting to climb the corporate ladder and achieve success by working with some of the biggest companies in the world.

Additionally, Bro Jones was inducted for the third year in a row to be a Forbes Magazine Communications Council Executive Member

The Forbes Communications Council Is An Invitation-Only Organization For SeniorLevel PR And Communications Executives. Members are respected leaders who are selected for the council based on the depth and diversity of their experience as leaders in the communications industry.

Bro. Jones was selected by Cornell University’s Johnson Business School and Poets and Quants (P&Q) to be its Best and Brightest Executive MBA graduates. I was the first African American male and APHIA member to receive this honor by the school, the Executive MBA program and P&Q.

Bro. Jones is the first African American male and APHIA member to be exclusively featured on Cornell University’s Johnson Business School website for this honor sine the inception of the school.

Recently he was inducted as a board member of Santa Clara University’s Miller Center for Social Entrepreneurship at Santa Clara University exists to accelerate entrepreneurship to end global poverty and protect the planet. They believe that entrepreneurship in service to climate resilience and women’s economic empowerment provide pathways out of poverty for communities. I am the first APHIA member on its board.

Bro. Jones is a brother’s brother!, He reclaimed Brother Michael E. Collins of Mu

Lambda and hired him to be Starbucks’s first director of government affairs and public policy in DC.

In January of 2023 Bro. Jones spoke on the main stage of the US Conference of Mayors at the Mayors and Business Leaders Plenary Breakfast. The session was hosted by Mayor Francis Suarez President, The United States Conference of Mayors City of Miami, and Tom Cochran, CEO and Executive Director The United States Conference of Mayors. He spoke on stage about the Common Challenges and Opportunities shared by Mayors and Business Leaders Bruce Harrell, Mayor of Seattle Chair, Technology and Innovation Standing Committee. Mayor Harrell is also an Alpha.

On October of 2022, Bro. Jones led the effort to open the first wholly own Starbucks on Hampton University’s campus. As you know, this deal was done directly with the President Darrell K. Williams of the university how is also an Alpha. This took place during their homecoming

Bro. Jones is currently working with Executive Director Sean L. McCaskill to launch an exclusive partnership multi-prong partnership between the Starbucks and the Fraternity to be announced at the National Convention in Dallas this year.

There are only two African American males in the c-suite of Starbucks (myself and Micheal A. Conway). We are both Alphas. He crossed at Duke University.

For Mu Lambda, he has submitted the resolution acknowledging our 100th anniversary and reserving space at the US Capitol for us to take pictures at our 100th.

There are more things of course but I only have two pages to give Brother Jones his due Flowers!

Thanks so much Young Brother for all of you do and for being BLACK HISTORY