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PPIA Fellows/Alumni Profile

Impact of PPIA Program:

PPIA provided me an opportuntiy to achieve my educational goal in the area of public policy, private enterprise and international affairs.

Biography:

Albert Beckford Jones is Chairman of Trading & Consulting International, Inc. (TC International) based in the Midwest, with activities in the US and internationally (www.gointernationally.com) and the Chief Executive Officer and Principal Partner of Bridge Investment Advisors, Inc.- a full service investment advisory and asset management firm based in Chicago. TC International, a firm which he founded, puts his experience and contacts to work for American businesses, enabling U.S. companies and institutions to bridge the gap between global ambitions and the realities of profitable international business. Mr. Jones assists companies and institutions in the development and implementation of international and global strategies. He provided international advisory services to United Technologies, Pratt & Whitney, and the Cleveland Advanced Manufacturing Company on the evaluation, selection and the set-up of overseas joint ventures, and major U.S. and international institutions. In addition, he was the International Investment Banking Consultant to KeyBank – an $80 billion financial institution for which he led global private equity and capital raising initiatives. He has worked with the executive management of leading international and U.S. fortune 500 companies.

Albert Jones’ career began in 1983 as Chief Financial Officer and Management Information System Executive for ASTC Corporation, a leading contracting, trading and investment company based in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. He managed a budget of $90 million USD associated with $2 billion in assets. He was also responsible for the computerization, re-engineering and consolidation of the corporation’s lines of business. He returned (in 1989) to the U.S. to join First National Bank of Chicago (now known as Bank One Corporation) as a Corporate Planning Officer. As a member of a five person Executive Support Unit for the Bank’s senior executive management team and the Vice Chairman of the Board, Mr. Jones conducted competitive, financial, and strategic analyses of the corporation’s lines of business. This was followed by a two-year stint as a special Business Analyst for the executive management of British Petroleum (BP). At BP, he evaluated proposed capital investments for the Trans-Alaska Pipeline, analyzed the corporation’s financial activities in the western hemisphere and advised on key factors impacting profit and cash flow. Later, Mr. Jones was Vice President and Senior Manager of Corporate Strategic Planning for Society Corporation, where he managed the strategy development function for the corporation’s lines of business, during the merger between Society Corporation and KeyBank (KeyCorp). KeyCorp is one of the largest financial institutions in the U.S.

Mr. Jones was a Financial Advisor with Merrill Lynch’s Global Private Client Group where he provided global financial and investment management advisory services to individual and institutional clients in the U.S. and worldwide. He guided clients through the planning process by developing and implementing comprehensive investment strategies on the diversification of investment assets in conjunction with clients’ risk tolerance, liquidity requirements, investment policy and cash flow in order to achieve clients’ financial goals.

Mr. Jones is a native of Columbus, Ohio, where he attended Eastmoor High School and was the School's Student Body President and outstanding Ohio student athlete (basketball). He and his wife, a Professor of 19th Century American and British Literature, have one college age daughter and reside in Chicago, Illinois.

Awards and Memberships:

Mr. Jones is a Sloan Fellow from Harvard University and the University of Chicago. At the University of Wisconsin-Mil., Mr. Jones was the Student body President, an intercollegiate Division I Athlete, Student Senate, Chairman of Finance Committee, which allocated money to all student organizations, Founder of the Student for Policy of Change, which promoted diversity on campus and nationally, and recipient of the National Outstanding College Student Award and Princeton University Foundation National Scholar Award.

He is also licensed with the National Association of Security Dealers (NASD), as a security broker and holds the following industry licenses: series 7 (General Securities), series 66 (Uniform Securities Agent State law and Investment Adviser), and General Insurance license (Accident Health, Life and Variable contracts).

Serves on the Cleveland State University Foundation Board, Lake Erie College Board, Chicago Council of Foreign Relations (Chicago Committee) - Presidents Advisory Circle, Cleveland Council on World Affairs, Cleveland Committee of Foreign Relations, National Council of International Programs (USA), Club International, China Advisory Council, and several other boards and committees.

Advice and/or Recommendations:

The skills gained in "Public Policy Analysis and Management" are transferable: strong analytical, quantitative, problem solving and decision-making skills. When these skills are combined with finance, knowledge of the world, international travel or a stint abroad, and a foreign language, one would be prepared for several opportunities. These skills can be used in the public, private, or not-for-profit sector, as well as in the international arena, foundations, and consulting.

Additionally, when preparing for a career in public service, I highly recommend interested candidates become active in student government and/or campus life. These experinces will enhance your future endeavors.

Contact Information: alsjones@aol.com