Woman of the House

Jan Jones

Jan Jones (M.B.A. '82) never planned to turn her career sights to politics, but in less than a decade, she has made a fast rise to the top ranks under the Gold Dome. As the newly elected speaker pro tempore of the Georgia House of Representatives, she is now the highest-ranking woman in the history of the Georgia Legislature.

"I never thought I would run for office," Jones said. "I ran for office without knowing what I was doing. I just wanted to make changes."

The 51-year-old Republican from Milton made her foray into politics after being a stay-at-home mom to her four children for nearly 10 years. Previously, Jones worked as a financial auditor turned marketing executive for HBO.

She turned to community activism, which eventually charted her path to politics. At the time, Jones focused her efforts on a plan to annex unincorporated areas of North Fulton into Alpharetta. These days, she is still laser-focused on the northern part of the county but instead is hoping to split Fulton into two parts - a Milton County and a South Fulton, which would encompass the city of Atlanta.

"My vision is Milton County be recreated," Jones says. "I would simply bring government closer to people. ... One size does not fit all with Fulton County and with public education."

Jones' political career began in 2002, when she ran for a Georgia House seat. By 2008, she was elected GOP majority whip.

"My education at Georgia State University has helped me in everything I've done," Jones says. "Taking those financial modeling classes really trained me for what I'm doing now."