Laurell Jones served with distinction in the  United States Air Force and retired in the rank of Lieutenant Colonel. During her 23 year career she held multiple roles in financial management and financial analysis with increasing levels of leadership responsibility in international and US based locations. She has led multi-national teams, completed two tours of duty at the Pentagon, commanded two squadrons and served as the principal financial advisor managing a $1.3 B budget.

In Laurell’s post military career she was a Senior Managing Consultant with IBM for 14 years.  She directed teams that supported multiple Federal government agencies in the areas of project management, business process improvement and training.

Laurell has been a volunteer with Dress for Success Tampa Bay since 2018 and is the immediate Past President of the Board of Directors. Laurell is passionate about empowering women to achieve economic independence. She is the current President  of the Ivy Enrichment Foundation of Tampa Bay, a non-profit 501 (c)3  organization with a mission to enrich the lives of children and other citizens in the Tampa Bay community by providing innovative programs that expand their opportunities and open doors for their future development.

Laurell is a graduate of Syracuse University and also holds an MBA and MPA .  In 2020, Laurell was featured in the published book Transitioned Veteran Success Beyond Service.  She is also a certified Project Management Professional (PMP).

She resides in Tampa with her husband Thomas.  In her free time, Laurell enjoys mentoring youth, gardening, traveling and exploring Tampa.