OKLAHOMA CITY (KFOR) – The president of Oklahoma City Community College will receive a prestigious honor: induction into the Oklahoma African American Educators Hall of Fame.

Dr. Mautra Staley Jones will be inducted into the 2022 class of OAAE Hall of Fame.

“This honor is particularly special as I want to live my life as an example to children who grew up like me,” Jones said. “It’s important for children to see themselves in successful adults, otherwise, they have no idea of what is possible. This honor puts my achievements on a larger platform so that more children can see themselves in me, and for that, I am deeply grateful.”

The ceremony will be held Sept. 30 at the Oklahoma History Center, 800 Nazih Zuhdi Drive in Oklahoma City.

Jones graduated from the University of Oklahoma and earned an MBA from the University of Phoenix at San Diego and a Doctor of Education from Vanderbilt University’s Peabody College of Education.

She has amassed a prestigious career centered around education, becoming the Director of Development and Marketing at KIPP Reach College Preparatory School and Director of Development for The Foundation for Oklahoma City Public Schools.

Jones went on to become the Vice President of Institutional Advancement and External Affairs at Langston University, directing fundraising, donor and alumni relations, marketing and public relations, communications and government and community relations. She was also Executive Director of the Langston University Foundation and Site Administrator of the Langston University-OKC Campus.

She became OCCC’s 11th president on March 1, 2022, becoming both the first woman and first person of color to serve OCCC in this capacity.

Jones is also the first African American female president of any Oklahoma college or university that is not a Historically Black College or University (HBCU).

She has many goals for OCCC, including increasing resources and student enrollment, elevating OCCC’s name recognition statewide and leading OCCC to new heights and possibilities.

OCCC has accomplished the following since Jones became president: Forgiven nearly $4 million in student debt under its Fresh Start Initiative, impacting 4,500 OCCC students; been designated as a National Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense; named one of MovieMaker magazine’s 40 Best Film Schools of 2022 in the U.S. and Canada; partnered with Walgreens for pharmacy internships; and awarded a $1.8 million grant from the U.S. Department of Education to help high school students become first-generation college students.

Jones is also an active and engaged community member, serving as a leader in corporate, civic and charitable organizations, and serving as a Board Director for the following organizations: BancFirst and BancFirst Corporation; South Oklahoma City Chamber of Commerce; American Mothers, Inc., Oklahoma Hall of Fame, StitchCrew, Oklahoma Philharmonic Society, Civic Center Foundation, Oklahoma Watch, Oklahoma Office of Juvenile Affairs, and Leadership Oklahoma City’s Alumni Association.

She was previously named Woman of the Year by The Journal Record, Perry Publishing and Broadcasting, and With Love OKC. Her other honors include being named American Mothers, Inc.’s 2021 National Mother of the Year, 2021 Oklahoma Mother of the Year and 2012 Oklahoma Mother of Achievement.