The Joneses

Stephanie Laudone-Jones ’04 and David Jones ‘04

Stephanie Laudone-Jones ’04 and David Jones ’04 met in fall 2000 when Stephanie entered Eastern as a first-year psychology student residing in Winthrop Hall. There she met David, a sophomore and residence assistant (RA) studying communication.

While their relationship grew from friendship, Stephanie and David also grew into leadership roles on campus. In addition to being an RA, David was active in MALES (Men Achieving Leadership, Excellence and Success), was a senator in the Student Government Association and worked in the career services office with Walter Diaz.

Stephanie was a founding member of the women’s group, AYLA, and actively involved with the Women’s Center, helping to lead Eastern’s Take Back the Night program. She interned under Constance Green in the Office of Equity and Diversity, an experience that she credits as shaping her approach to justice and liberation work. Stephanie was further mentored in her pursuit of a career as a sociologist by former Eastern Professor Erica Childs.

“The opportunities Stephanie and I had to be engaged in campus life as students transformed our lives,” said David, “and prepared us personally and professionally.”

A proud first-generation college student, Stephanie earned her master’s degree and Ph.D. in sociology from Fordham University and is currently an associate professor of sociology at the Borough of Manhattan Community College-City University of New York.

After graduating from Eastern, David went on to earn his master’s degree in college student affairs at the University of South Florida before earning his Ed.D. in organizational leadership from Northeastern University in 2017. David is currently the chief diversity officer at the New Jersey Institute of Technology as well as a diversity, equity and inclusion consultant.

Stephanie and David were married in Rhode Island on June 6, 2009, accompanied by many of the friends they met while attending Eastern. Today they live in West Orange, NJ, staying busy with their professional lives and raising their three children, Sophia (11 years old), Jacob (11 years old) and Natalia (4 years old).