About
The communities I serve don't need more programs, they need strategic leaders who understand the landscape, build the right relationships, and execute with precision. That's what I do.
$120M+ in federal resources unlocked. $80M+ in budgets managed. A 33-point increase in stakeholder satisfaction. These aren't hypotheticals, they are the results of strategic leadership in action.
I'm Ebony Jones, Founder of E-Squared: Educator Essentials and a seasoned executive strategist with over 15 years partnering across education, philanthropy, and the public sector. I founded E-Squared to provide the kind of executive-level strategy that drives real, lasting change, building the coalitions, systems, and leadership capacity that shift power and expand opportunity for communities historically denied it.
My clients don't just get a consultant, they get a thought partner who is invested in their mission, accountable to their outcomes, and committed to positioning their organization as a trusted, enduring force in the communities they serve.
What I Bring
Strategy Executive Advisory Partnering with executives and senior leadership to drive organizational effectiveness, inform high-stakes decisions, and translate vision into executable strategy across complex, matrixed environments.
Organizational Design & Change Management Leading enterprise-wide restructuring, talent operations, and performance systems that reduce inefficiencies, optimize resources, and sustain organizational culture through periods of transformation.
Grantmaking & Philanthropic Strategy Designing and stewarding community-centered grant processes that maximize impact from RFP development and applicant recruitment to review, award, and accountability frameworks.
Coalition & Partnership Building Cultivating cross-sector partnerships across government, philanthropy, corporate, and civic institutions to build the coalitions that expand opportunity and shift resources to the communities that need them most.
People-Centered Leadership & Talent Development Designing leadership frameworks, professional learning experiences, and talent systems grounded in human-centered principles that strengthen organizational culture and unlock individual and team potential.
My practice is grounded in nationally recognized frameworks and continuously informed by cutting-edge leadership development.
Principal EC-12 | Texas Education Agency
4-8 ESL Generalist | Texas Education Agency
Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Practitioner | Racial Equity Institute
Pillars of Adult Learning | The Center for Excellence in Adult Learning
Human-Centered Design Principles | IDEO
The Art of Coaching | Bright Morning
Board Governance | Boardbuild
Affiliations
I continually invest in the community, and champion causes that bring economic and social development to the region. I am proud to have served the following mission-driven organizations:
Leadership Fort Worth, Board of Directors, Secretary
City of Arlington, Mayor’s Black Advisory Council
National Juneteenth Museum Development Project, Board of Directors
United Way of Tarrant County, Board of Directors
Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce, South Area Advisory Board
Tarrant County's Blue Ribbon Action Committee on Childcare
Fort Worth Public Library Foundation, Cigar Smoker Event Committee
The Fort Worth Report, Advisory Council
United Way of Tarrant County, Women United Steering Committee, Chair
Projects
Leadership in Action
Project: Our Kids, Our Heroes
Organization: Teach For America
Year: 2021
Partnering with the Office of the Mayor, Our Kids, Our Heroes was a live podcast event recorded before approximately 80 of Fort Worth's most influential leaders. The main themes of the night included:
Challenges and opportunities facing our current education model
Student stories of overcoming the challenges as they share their experiences and reflect on what it takes to be a student today
Mayor Parker’s vision for education and how students hold the key to the city’s future
The importance of student voice and student civic engagement as we co-create the solutions to the problems facing our region
Project: Organizational Simulation: How Identity Impacts Leadership
Organization: National Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Summit
Year: 2019
Design an interactive professional learning experience for organization DEI Practitioners and decision-makers to leave with a foundational understanding of how their identity informs their leadership and manifests during periods of stress and pressure. The byproduct of the experience results in an understanding of system dynamics, how the system influences and constrains individual action, and a toolkit with methods and language to enable a positive work climate and higher staff productivity.
Project: Summer Institute
Organization: Teach For America
Year: 2018
Institute is a seven-week program designed to further the development of pre-service teachers and the summer learning for students. We approach this with a keen focus on integration (prioritizing content-specific training, classroom culture, and teaching as social justice), exposure to models, rehearsal and reflection as the path to internalization and development, and building a hunger in our teachers to drive their own growth. Corps Members will balance the urgency to achieve with the urgency to grow juggling leading summer school instruction and their own professional learning.
Community Partnerships: Event Pop-Ups
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Melanin & Museums
Partnered with the Kimbell Art Museum to provide a private guided tour of the exhibition, while building community and network for Black women leaders.
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Sip and Chat
Launched a think tank to maximize a network of millennials to prepare people to be civically engaged and take ownership of our evolving city. Critical levers include building community and bridges across lines of difference through dialogue and influencing millennials to action plan towards a more inclusive Fort Worth.
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The Gathering: Black Women in Business
Partnered with local community champions and a celebrity chef to create bespoke networking and professional development event for Black women throughout the region.
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Global Innovation and Partnership
Innovation is critical when thinking through identifying approaches to strengthen the way we meet the needs of our students and communities. Through a partnership with global brands, designed a roadmap for potential methods for improving the support of system change leaders, in education and policy.
