He received his undergraduate degree from Western Michigan University and his Masters and PhD from Penn State. His doctoral internship was completed at Brown University. Dr. Jones is a professor of psychology at Virginia Tech University. He is also an affiliate of the Yale University Child Study Center. Dr. Jones was the team leader for the the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) mental health consultant group deployed to Gulf Port, Mississippi, in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. His work focuses on issues related to the effects of disaster and terrorism on children. Dr. Jones is a fellow of the American Psychological Association and a member of the Terrorism and Disaster Branch of the National Child Traumatic Stress Network. He is a past member of the Board of Directors of the International Society of Traumatic Stress Studies and of the CDC's Advisory Committee for Injury Prevention and Control.