Meet Dr. Valencia Jones

Dr. Valencia Jones is a nationally and internationally recognized educator, scholar, executive leader, and faith-grounded strategist whose career is defined by measurable results, institutional transformation, and sustained community impact. With more than 23 years in education—beginning as a classroom teacher in 2000 and advancing into administration in 2005—Dr. Jones brings comprehensive expertise across early childhood education, K–12 systems, and higher education leadership. She currently serves in college administration at California State University, San Bernardino within the Multiple Subject and Single Subject Credential Programs, where she prepares future educators to lead with intellectual rigor, ethical clarity, and an unwavering commitment to student success.

    Dr. Jones is the Founder and CEO of SMARTT Kids Preparatory Academy & Childcare, established in Rancho Cucamonga in 2006, with a second campus opened in Fontana in 2013. Through these institutions, she has built academically rigorous, culturally responsive learning environments that emphasize literacy, mathematics proficiency, identity development, bilingual enrichment, and character formation. Her entrepreneurial leadership reflects her belief that early educational investment not only strengthens long-term academic achievement but also stabilizes families and fortifies communities.

    Her K–12 administrative leadership demonstrates a consistent record of outcomes. While serving in San Bernardino City Unified School District, she contributed to increased graduation rates and launched the International Baccalaureate (IB) Program at Royal Valley High School, expanding access to globally competitive coursework. She authored and secured a 21st Century Community Learning Center Grant, strengthening extended learning opportunities for students and families. As an elementary administrator in the High Desert region, her school sustained a 98% attendance rate—evidence of her ability to align instructional systems, family engagement, and campus culture for measurable and sustainable success.

    A respected scholar and doctoral mentor, Dr. Jones has chaired 19 dissertations and is currently chairing two additional studies. Her academic preparation reflects interdisciplinary depth and quantitative rigor: she holds a Bachelor of Arts in African American Studies from California State University, Long Beach, as well as bachelor’s and master’s degrees in Mathematics. She earned her Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, studying under Dr. Maulana Karenga, and is currently completing an MBA in Innovation at California State University, San Bernardino. Her scholarship focuses on transformational leadership, multimodal research methodologies, literacy and language acquisition, identity formation, psychology-informed instructional systems, and dignity-centered educational design.

    Central to Dr. Jones’s philosophy is the conviction that individuals should never feel compelled to abandon their cultural heritage, language, or identity in order to achieve success. She advocates for educational systems that affirm students’ natural cultures and honor where they come from, whether in the United States or globally. She promotes bilingualism and multilingualism as intellectual assets and believes that students thrive when encouraged to speak their original languages, value their traditions, and stand confidently in who they are. Her work in dual language and bilingual education underscores her commitment to ensuring that assimilation does not require erasure. Instead, she champions environments where cultural identity is preserved, celebrated, and integrated into academic excellence—strengthening both individual development and the broader social fabric.

    Dr. Jones’s influence extends globally. She has presented on transformational leadership, supervision, language development, educational systems reform, and culturally grounded excellence in Hong Kong, China, South Korea, New Zealand, Australia, Finland, Austria, Russia, Ukraine, Syria, Canada, the Dominican Republic, and Uruguay. As a John Maxwell Certified Leader and practitioner of DISC behavioral assessment, she integrates executive coaching, leadership diagnostics, and strategic implementation into her consulting and advisory work, supporting institutions in strengthening organizational performance, governance structures, and mission alignment.

    Her governance and policy experience position her strongly for executive board service. Dr. Jones has led and participated in 14 high school accreditation processes across California and Arizona and has served on WASC Accreditation Visiting Committees. Her committee service spans District Leadership Council, Superintendent Advisory Cabinet, LCAP Advisory Committee, School Site Council, ELAC/DELAC, Curriculum Adoption Committees (Math, ELA, Ethnic Studies), MTSS/PBIS Steering Committees, Equity Task Forces, Restorative Practices Committees, Title I and Federal Programs oversight, School Climate and Safety Committees, Strategic Planning Committees, Graduation Task Forces, Attendance Review Boards, Dual Language/Bilingual Education Steering Committees (K–12), Faculty Senate, Dissertation Review panels, State Department of Education advisory panels, Credentialing Review Panels, and Title II and Title III advisory groups. This breadth reflects her fluency in accreditation standards, curriculum design, compliance frameworks, bilingual education policy, and whole-child systems planning.

    Dr. Jones is equally committed to civic leadership and intergenerational service. She is an active member of the National Council of Negro Women, has served as Program Quality Director in Toastmasters International, and founded the Lions Club in North Fontana. She has volunteered at the Rancho Cucamonga Senior Center for 19 years and previously served five years at the Long Beach Senior Center. Her community involvement reflects a sustained dedication to strengthening civic infrastructure and empowering families across generations.

    A first-generation college graduate, Dr. Jones brings lived understanding of education as a vehicle for transformation and upward mobility. Deeply rooted in faith, she and her late husband co-pastored for several years, shaping her leadership philosophy around stewardship, servant leadership, moral accountability, and principled governance. As the mother of seven children, she integrates scholarship, entrepreneurship, public service, and family life with clarity of purpose and disciplined vision.

    Dr. Jones is committed to advancing world-class education in the 21st century—expanding pathways into STEM for women, strengthening bilingual and dual language education, increasing graduation outcomes, and building systems that uphold dignity while maintaining uncompromising academic standards. Her leadership bridges classroom results, executive governance, global engagement, and policy strategy, positioning her as a trusted voice for boards, institutions, and communities seeking principled, results-driven transformation at scale.