“This time I’m leaving and I’m not coming back,” Theresa Jones wrote playfully in the invitation to her “final” retirement celebration. After 38 years with the City of St. Petersburg, Jones makes her third and final exit from the City this Thursday.
Her departure leaves shoes that can never be filled. Though she is best known as a count-on supporter of all things community, Theresa played a pivotal role in many of the City’s earliest economic inclusion initiatives.
Under her watch, in a half dozen management roles for St. Petersburg, Theresa has helped countless individuals and organizations connect to opportunities, resources, and help.
She first joined the City as a Relocation Officer in 1977, in a temporary role funded through the City’s Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) entitlement from the U.S. Department of Housing & Urban Development (HUD).
The job landed her in the center of some of the firsts redevelopment projects undertaken by the City. It was her charge to help families find new affordable homes for those displaced by the City’s urban renewal efforts in areas such as the Gas Plant and Campbell Park.
Theresa went on to serve in various management posts prior to becoming the
City’s Minority Business Enterprise (MBE) Coordinator from 1986 to 1993. Following a three-year hiatus when she worked as MBE Coordinator for Tampa General Healthcare, Theresa returned to City government in June 1996, again as MBE Coordinator until 2001.
It was during this timeframe when she shepherded the first and second MBE inclusion programs for the construction, and later, for the renovation of the site now known as the historic Gas Plant district (a.k.a. Tropicana Field).
Neither role was easy, but Theresa proved more than fit for the task. She served as point person in holding the prime contractor accountable to the City’s MBE goals for the original construction of the Trop. In late 1987 and early 1988, Theresa issued warnings to the firm for falling short of the goals.
She dispatched a scathing letter in February 1988, urging the prime to step up plans for inclusion. “We are extremely concerned,” she wrote. “In light of the fact that one year of construction is complete, it is imperative that additional measures be taken.”
Her vigilant tracking of impact helped push the MBE ratio from 2.6% in early 1988 to 7.6% by the project’s end.
In 2001, Theresa was promoted to Manager of Business Assistance, with responsibility for overseeing operations of the City’s Business Development Center (now known as the Greenhouse). There she administered the City’s newly minted Small and Disadvantaged Business Enterprise (SDBE) Procurement Program.
In late 2002, Theresa was appointed as the Community Affairs Director for the City under the tenure of Mayor Rick Baker. Her department took the lead in enforcing local, county, state, and federal anti-discrimination laws, and provided oversight for the Committee to Advocate for Persons with Impairments (CAPI), the Civilian Police Review Committee, and the City’s Summer Youth Intern Program and Workforce Training Program.
Theresa first retired in 2012 but was recruited back to city hall in 2018 by then Mayor Rick Kriseman to serve as his Veterans, Homeless and Social Services Manager.
In addition to her work in government, Theresa has volunteered with, donated to, and advised dozens of community-based and non-profit organizations.
Her many roles include service as founding member and Secretary of the National Forum for Black Public Administrators – Tampa Bay Chapter; Co-Chairperson of the Community Alliance; Graduate of Leadership St. Petersburg; President of the National Minority Supplier Development Council (NMSDC) – West Coast Chapter in 1991 and again 1994; President of the Florida Association of MBE Officials in 1996; and board member of two decades with R’Club Child Care, after joining as a parent rep on the board when her son was in elementary school.
Theresa has also served as a constant communicator and connector. For many years, those in her professional and community networks have received faithful updates from Theresa with her trademark tagline “FYI – Share as you deem appropriate.”
Today brings a close to nearly four decades of service under the administrations of nine mayors.
Theresa’s contributions are incalculable. From the small businesses she’s coached and connected to opportunity, to the families and individuals Theresa helped secure safe, affordable housing, to the hundreds of equal opportunity cases she presided over, through it all, she brought her A-game to the field.
With characteristic modesty, Theresa says of her career, “I’m merely fulfilling my earthly assignment in anything that I do.” She adds, “I pray that God will be pleased.”
The officials she has worked with did not hold back in showering praise.
Mayor Ken Welch said, “For 38 years, Theresa Jones has served the people of St. Petersburg as an exemplary leader on the City of St. Pete team. Her decades of work and advocacy for St. Petersburg families and neighbors had a powerful impact on housing, veterans and community affairs, economic opportunity, and exemplify her lifetime commitment to public service.
“Theresa humbly describes her work in the service of others as “fulfilling her earthly assignment.” We are thankful that Theresa embraced the assignment and set the standard for others to follow. Thank you for your leadership, love and loyalty to our community!”
City Councilman John Muhammad quipped that he first met Theresa during her first retirement, and “She was doing so much for the community, I actually thought it was her job!”
Muhammad credits her as a guiding influence, saying, “Her passion for service, commitment to quality and insistence on excellence has helped me to grow tremendously over the years. Our bond has transcended friendship and she has become a second mother to me. I’m truly happy for her and excited to see what kind of “good trouble” we get into as a result of her newfound freedom.”
“A champion in her own category,” is how City Councilmember Deborah Figgs-Sanders describes Theresa. “Her volunteerism, commitment to community and care is incomparable. I’m always in awe when I witness the time she spends encouraging others and providing services for our veterans and un-housed.”
Commenting on Theresa’s selflessness, Figgs-Sanders said, “The golden egg is that she does mind sharing what she knows with others. Her heart speaks through her actions and her work with the City will truly be missed.”
The official who worked with Theresa over perhaps the longest stretch of time was Mayor Rick Kriseman. He fondly recalls, “I first got to know Theresa Jones while serving on the City Council. But it was during my time as Mayor that I really got to know Theresa and see her heart, her passion for the community, and her commitment to the City. Serving as my Community Affairs Director, Theresa had the challenging task of guiding our City’s efforts at serving our homeless population, creating a Veteran’s Day celebration, and overseeing the rest of the community affairs team, and she took on all of these tasks with grace, kindness, and compassion. I hate to see her leave City government but wish her the best as she opens this new chapter in her life.”
Theresa’s advice to younger leaders: “I would encourage people regardless of what they do to always remain focused, committed, determined and genuine in any endeavor. And, if you’re a public servant, remember it’s always about the people we serve.”
The 69-year-old mother and grandmother plans to spend more time with family, friends, and the flowers she tends so beautifully. But don’t look for her to fade into the background. Servant leadership is in her DNA.
