Rhonda Skillern-Jones, elected on December 14, 2019, as the HCC Trustee for District II, has a passion for education and believes that all students deserve an equitable and quality education in achieving their maximum potential.
Trustee Skillern-Jones, a native Houstonian earned both a bachelor’s degree in Business Administration and a master’s degree in Clinical Sociology from Texas Southern University. As a volunteer social worker at the Mount Ararat Baptist Church, Trustee Skillern-Jones assists families, seniors, and youth to overcome economic obstacles for their well-being. Trustee Skillern-Jones has a strong faith in God and cites her parents as her heroes and role models.
Trustee Skillern-Jones served Houston Independent School District (HISD) in a volunteer capacity for 25 years before joining the school board. She was first elected to the HISD Board of Education in 2011 and served two terms from 2012 until 2019. She also served as Board president in 2015 and 2018 and several other leadership positions on the board. Trustee Skillern-Jones served on the Texas Association of School Boards (TASB) Board of Directors representing HISD; Vice-Chair of the Steering Committee for the National School Boards Association’s Council of Urban Boards of Education (CUBE); Chair of the Texas Caucus of Black School Board Members; and National Black Caucus of School Boards. Her memberships include The Links, Inc., Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Incorporated, Top Ladies of Distinction, and the NAACP.
Trustee Skillern-Jones is a wife and mother of five children: three girls and two boys, including twins. While she has enjoyed being a stay-at-home mother for 25 years, Trustee Skillern-Jones has had interval employment as a state social worker, teacher, and census director. She currently works for Harris County Precinct One as a Community Engagement Director.