Lori Jones is the executive director of Ronald McDonald House of the Four States
Long before Lori Jones became executive director of Ronald McDonald House of the Four States, she committed herself to Joplin. Her connection goes back to when she chose Joplin as her home after college.
“I really picked Joplin, not for a job, but because that was a town that I wanted to live in,” says Jones, who was born in Joplin but grew up in southeast Kansas. “It felt like coming home.”
That decision — anchored by marriage and family — forms the foundation of a career spanning trucking, retail and management. Those experiences led her to the Ronald McDonald House, which serves families whose children are receiving care at local hospitals. These chapters taught Jones that success comes through good leadership, transparency and efficiency.
“I try to be really open with communication and transparent,” Jones says, noting that she shares as much as possible with employees. “If I know and they can know, then they should.”
Jones serves her neighbors beyond the office. Examples include the Joplin Regional Community Foundation, where she is on the board, and Nonprofit Leadership Connect, a group of local leaders she organized that meets to stay informed about needs and opportunities.
The group emerged after seeing the effectiveness of change when figurative “silos” are gone, such as in the wake of crises like the 2011 Joplin tornado and the COVID-19 pandemic.
“We come together and we talk about what’s going good and what our challenges are,” Jones says of the group. “We collaborate and talk about shared opportunities.
“But more than anything, we have become friends. If I have a family staying here and they need clothing, I have a cell phone number, I can text a director, and we work together.”
Who inspires you? Send your suggestions of individuals moving the needle in your community to Kaitlyn McConnell, the CFO's writer in residence, at kmcconnell@cfozarks.org.