Nona Jones is an international speaker, preacher, author, and the head of global faith-based partnerships at Facebook. Previously, Nona held executive leadership roles across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
Biography
Nona Jones was the unwanted child. When her mother found out she was pregnant with her, she cried, even though she was married to Nona’s father who wanted a child. Her mother simply didn’t want to be a mother. Two months before Nona turned two, her father passed away, and her mother relocated to a new state to be with a man she hardly knew. She had several boyfriends over the course of two years before settling down with a man who became her live-in partner. The abuse started right after that.
​When Nona was just 5-years-old, her mother’s boyfriend began hugging her when her mother wasn’t around; holding her too close to his body and too tightly for too long. Although she was too young to understand what he was doing, it scared her. This would make her start lock her bedroom door when her mother worked late at night. But she learned at that young age that a straightened wire hanger could pick the lock.
Nona first told her mother about what he had done to her, the latter had him arrested. However her mother brought him back home because she needed his money to pay bills. Unfortunately the abuse resumed, but tis time she chose to remain silent.Â
Today, Nona Jones is an international speaker, preacher, author, and the head of global faith-based partnerships at Facebook. Previously, Nona held executive leadership roles across the private, public, and nonprofit sectors.
Outside of the pulpit and boardroom, Nona is a skilled vocalist, songwriter, worship leader, and musician . She wrote, composed, and co-produced her Billboard-Charting Gospel Album, “Take Me.” She is an avid runner and fitness enthusiast who has written five books and just completed her thirteenth half-marathon in Paris, France.
Age
Nona celebrates her birthday on every 23rd Day of July. She is currently 40 years old.
Education
Nona is a graduate of the Harvard Law School Program on Negotiation and holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communications and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida, where she was honored as an Outstanding Young Alumna.
She also completed the Presidential Leadership Scholars Program, a joint project of Presidents George W. Bush and Bill Clinton, and Leadership Florida. She participates in The Links, Inc., Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., and the University of Florida Digital Advisory Council as part of her civic engagement.
Family Life
She is the director of Open Door Ministries with her husband, Pastor Tim, and they have two sons, Timothy, Jr. and Isaac, as well as a Goldendoodle named Shiloh.
Ministry
At, sixth-grade, Nona received her first invitation to church through her classmate. She had never heard of God or the Bible before, so when she went to her first service, she wasn’t sure what to expect. When the preacher said, “God is a father to the fatherless,” he spoke directly to her heart. After hearing that, she became curious about God and at the age of 11, she started her own personal Bible study. And when she was twelve, she made Jesus her Lord and Savior.
For the next five years, Nona grew more and more active in ministry, becoming a worship leader, youth leader and, eventually, a minister-in-training.
Nona received her Gospel ministry license in Jacksonville, Florida, at the age of 17. Soon after starting to preach in Florida, she received invitations to do so nationwide. She developed a reputation as a popular preacher and public speaker while attending college at the University of Florida in Gainesville, Florida, as well as in local churches.
Career
Nona achieved incredible success in her career after earning a Bachelor of Communications and a Master of Business Administration from the University of Florida. She was introduced to business strategy at a young age when, at the age of only 23, she was appointed to her first executive position with a Fortune 100 company. She was then given the chance to take on an executive position in the public sector, where she would be in charge of the public affairs and regulatory strategy for a municipal utility that provided a variety of services and had annual revenues of more than $500 million. She received the Robert F. Roundtree Rising Star Award from the American Public Power Association for her leadership in this position while still under the age of 35.
She was hired to the nonprofit sector’s C-Suite immediately after this position to develop the external affairs strategy for a state-wide network of alternative schools. She led the development of resources, brand strategy, advocacy for federal and state legislation, and program expansion in her role. She rose to prominence in the juvenile justice reform movement and served as the keynote speaker for both the UN GirlUp International Summit and Attorney General Eric Holder’s National Youth Violence Prevention Summit.
Nona was then invited to join Facebook so that she could use her leadership in the ministry and business acumen to develop the company’s global faith-based partnerships strategy. It was a God-ordained opportunity for her, who had never before worked in technology, and it has shaped her special expertise in utilizing social technology to advance The Kingdom. She has collaborated with the biggest churches in both the United States and other countries, and many of the most powerful religious figures in the world view her as a thought partner. Nona’s method of moving from social media to social ministry has helped thousands of church leaders.
Also, Nona has been featured in ESSENCE Magazine’s “Under 40 Woman to Watch” issue as well as Florida Trend Magazine’s “30-Something All Stars” issue. She currently chairs the University of Florida Digital Advisory Council and serves as president of The Links, Incorporated’s Gainesville (FL) chapter. She most recently held positions on the Georgia Statewide Human Trafficking Task Force and as Secretary of the Florida Juvenile Justice Association Board of Directors. She is alumna of the Presidents Bill Clinton and George W. Bush’s innovative program for developing leaders, Presidential Leadership Scholars, and Leadership Florida.
Nona has been recognized as a University of Florida Outstanding Young Alumnus and is also a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Incorporated.
Nona Jones Weightloss
According to an Instagram post by Nona , she was classified as morbidly obese for the rest of her life. At the age of 26, she weighed 276 LBS.
“I was classified as morbidly obese for most of my life. I used food as the anesthetic for the pain of childhood sexual, physical, verbal and mental abuse. I was regularly teased in elementary and middle school for being overweight, so I succumbed to a few painful seasons of bulimia in high school and college to lose weight. Although it worked, it was temporary, and the underlying brokenness that led me to overeat resurfaced after I got married. I climbed to 276 lbs by the time I was 30.
One morning, after walking the short distance from my bedroom to my son’s nursery, I found myself struggling to catch my breath. My joints ached and I just felt generally miserable. I looked at my beautiful little boy and made a decision in that moment. I had tried (and failed at) every fad diet imaginable… but the ONE thing I hadn’t tried was eating clean and exercising. So, I decided to live a fit lifestyle.
I wasn’t a runner, but I registered for the Disney Princess Half marathon that was happening 9 months later. I downloaded the couch-to-5K app and scheduled time every morning to do the program. I also stopped eating sweets, fried food, and junk food and committed to only drink water. By the time the race day arrived, I had lost 60 pounds. I lost another 40 within the next six months. And I’ve kept it off for more than ten years!
The only surgery I had was to remove the excess skin from my abdomen last year. My surgeon told me I could do one million crunches a day for the rest of my life and I would never be able to get rid of it. That excess skin represented years of self-loathing. After it was removed, I realized it was a physical metaphor for the painful past I had been carrying with me.”
Today, she is 40 years old and weighs only 40 LBS
Books
- Killing Comparison
- Success from the Inside Out
- From Social Media to Social Ministry
Nona Jones Net Worth
Nona Jones has an estimated Net Worth of $3 Million USD
Social Media
You can find Nona Jones on the following social media platforms:
Instagram: @nonanotnora
Facebook: @Nona Jones