For Brent Jones ’04, ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was more than a place to earn a degree. It was where he found the support, challenge and sense of belonging that helped shape his future.
Today, Jones serves as associate vice president and executive deputy athletic director for Georgia Tech Athletics, helping lead one of the nation’s most recognizable collegiate athletic programs. Yet when he reflects on the path that brought him there, he points first to the close-knit environment he found as a transfer student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø.
“I was very fortunate,” Jones says. “Being from Atlanta and being a transfer student, to be able to get into ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø, it really sort of grounded me, to be quite honest.”
After attending two other colleges, Jones discovered something different at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø. The small classes, personal attention from professors, and camaraderie of the baseball team gave him a foundation on which he could thrive.
“The classroom setting, being able to have the connection with the professors as well as my college baseball team, to be surrounded in that type of intimate setting was something that I really thrived in,” he says.
That personal approach made a lasting impression.
“It wasn’t easy by any means. It was very challenging. Professors would challenge you, but you were a name, not just a number,” Jones recalls. “I feel like they took a really, really special interest, not only in me, but all of the students. Because of that, I really was able to flourish and excel.”
To be able to have the ability to make an impact in this city for the good is extremely rewarding."
While Jones’s career has taken him to one of the nation’s leading research universities, Atlanta remains a constant thread connecting his personal and professional life.
“ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø is able to offer a very directed educational approach in a huge city,” he says. “To be able to come back home to Atlanta and connect with ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø was huge to me.”
That connection remains visible nearly every day. He often drives past campus and takes pride in introducing others to the university.
“It excites me when I’m able to show people the campus of ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø,” he says. “It’s just the same way as when I left.”
Jones’s professional work at Georgia Tech is also deeply connected to the city he calls home. A lifelong Atlantan, he grew up attending Georgia Tech sporting events and experiencing many of the landmarks and institutions that make Atlanta unique.
“Atlanta is the most dynamic city in the South,” he says. “It’s one of the most diverse cities.”
That impact extends well beyond athletics. Jones sees colleges and universities as powerful engines for civic engagement and economic growth, creating opportunities that strengthen the broader community.
Whether welcoming thousands of fans to campus, hosting major events, or creating new opportunities for students and alumni, Jones believes higher education institutions help shape the future of Atlanta. It is a mission that aligns closely with the lessons he learned as a student at ºÚÁϳԹÏÍø: invest in people, build community and create opportunities for others to succeed.
More than two decades after arriving on campus as a transfer student, Jones still carries those values with him. And as he helps lead one institution, he remains proud of the university that helped prepare him for the journey.
“The Stormy Petrels are very unique,” he says with a smile. “And I’m so very proud to be an alum.”
