Partnership for Southern Equity Welcomes Lavonya Jones as Just Energy Director
The Partnership for Southern Equity (PSE) is pleased to announce the appointment of Lavonya Jones as its new Just Energy Director. Her appointment begins September 11. In this role, Lavonya will lead PSE’s charge for a more equitable energy landscape and provide guiding stewardship for a team that will increase the operational focus and deployment towards advancing energy equity in Metropolitan Atlanta and the American South.
Just Energy is PSE’s framework for mobilizing advocacy around energy equity issues. Using the lens of an Equity Ecosystem to grow the momentum for change, Just Energy represents frontline communities, subject-matter experts, houses of worship, youth movements, and academia organizing together to engage marginalized communities and communities of color about the sourcing and commodification of power generation in Georgia. Just Energy advances energy equity by pursuing progressive public policy, coalition building (through the Just Energy Circle), organizers who build grassroots strength for energy equity in local communities, leadership development (through the Just Energy Academy), and long-term community engagement.
Lavonya brings to PSE over 15 years of leadership development experience training students, entrepreneurs, and innovative professionals within the for-profit and non-profit sectors. She previously served as the Director of the Georgia Social Impact Collaborative, and led social entrepreneurship student programs at Morehouse College and Clark Atlanta University. As a third-generation HBCU graduate and a certified business coach, Lavonya is armed with a mission to equip an army of socially conscious innovators, and focuses her efforts on helping change agents connect the dots between their global vision and the global influence they desire, equipping them with the resources they need to do business responsibly and lead opportunities to solve societal challenges.
Lavonya holds a bachelor’s degree in entrepreneurship from Hampton University and a master’s degree in organizational leadership, with a concentration in coaching and mentoring, from Regent University. She is currently completing work on her doctorate in organizational leadership, with her research focus on entrepreneurial leadership, at Regent University.
About The Partnership for Southern Equity: Based in Atlanta, PSE is a nonprofit organization that advances policies and institutional actions that promote racial equity and shared prosperity for all in the growth of metropolitan Atlanta and the American South. Through forums, research, and organizing efforts, PSE brings together the regional community to lift up and encourage just, sustainable, and civic practices for balanced growth and opportunity. www.psequity.org
