Elonna Jones is a Spring 2020 graduate of the University of Maryland, College Park. She graduated with her Bachelors of Arts in Government and Politics and a minor in Black Women's Studies. Elonna currently has a position as the Volunteer Coordinator and Administration Staffer for Candidate Phylicia Porter who is the democratic candidate for Baltimore City Council in District 10. In 2016 and 2018, Elonna participated in the Johns Hopkins Internship in Brain Sciences program where she worked with Associate Professor, Dr. Dionna Williams. During her time in this program, Elonna completed immune system pathway research, which ultimately resulted in her first co-authored publication, "CCR2 Signaling Selectively Regulates IFN-α: Role of β-Arrestin 2 in IFNAR1 Internalization," in the Journal of Immunology. In 2018, Elonna also interned at the Office of U.S. Congressman Dutch Ruppersberger. Additionally, Elonna was the Activism Chair of the University of Maryland of College Park chapter of the NAACP from 2018-2019 and the President from 2019-2020 respectively. Elonna was with the Judge AW Center from June of 2019 to September of 2020. Currently Elonna is Baltimore City Regional Director for Senator Chris Van Hollen. Outside of work she is the Vice Chair of the Social Action Committee for the Baltimore Alumnae Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Incorporated and a summer volunteer for Safe Streets. 

Here is what Elonna says about her time with the center: 

"Working at the Center has impacted me by expanding my horizons to all facets of the political process. I have always been interested in how politics and policy affect the dynamics of states, cities and even down to an individual neighborhood. As a Government and Politics Major with experience interning on the Hill, an opportunity to work at the Center presented itself and with it, the opportunity to obtain knowledge of how community organizations, non-profits and grass roots come together to impact policy and politics. The Center expanded its efforts to help my hometown of Baltimore and with that, allowed me the space to help shape those efforts based on my not only my academic merit, but the ties to the city that made me. The connections, the knowledge, the support, the counsel and the love that the Center has provided me and continues to provide me is unmatched and is in part responsible for where I am today."