Leslie Jones

Leslie Jones is currently the Deputy Associate Director of Communications and Publishing at the U.S. Geological Survey. As a geology major, Leslie interned summers with a group of paleontologists working on paleoclimate studies. She published several journal articles and stayed on with the USGS after graduation. The need for people skilled at translating science into stories the public could understand and appreciate led her to positions where she established several new products aimed at lay audiences, created some of the USGS’s first-ever websites, and designed a briefing series to educate Congress about the value of USGS science using customer testimonials, a successful approach still in use today and which is much copied by other Federal agencies. In 1999, she moved to the Director’s Office where she launched one of the first Internal Communications programs in Federal government, developing a USGS intranet as a strategic communications tool, leadership blogs, two-way engagement opportunities, and manager toolkits for major announcements. In 2010, she was given management of the science publishing staff, where she reduced the cost of publishing by more than 30% and moved from a PDF- to an XML-based publishing workflow. Customer satisfaction surveys show a sustained rating of 95% for quality, timeliness, and responsiveness.  

As Deputy Associate Director, she oversees the Office’s strategic planning, budget, human resources, workforce planning, contracts, and facilities, and she manages the USGS’s web operations, social media program, and the 128-person Science Publishing Network. She recently completed a three-year detail as the Acting Associate Director for Communications and Publishing, serving as the communications advisor for the USGS’s COVID-19 response effort, leading a change-management effort in support of a major shift in science planning, and using analytics to show communications ROI.  

Jones received the USGS Superior Service Award in 2004, the DOI Meritorious Service Award in 2014, and the DOI Unit Award for Excellence of Service in 2018. Her work has been recognized with awards from the National Association of Government Communicators and the International Association of Business Communicators. She was featured in USGS Circular 1443 “USGS Women in STEM.”   

Jones received her undergraduate degree in environmental sciences with a minor in geology from Virginia Tech in 1986. She lives on a 73-acre working farm in Loudoun County, Virginia, where she raises horses, hay, and honeybees.