Black History Month Staff Spotlight: Catrina Jones, Vice President, Talent Integration

Three things stand out about the way I grew up.

First, there was always a lot of family joy. Though we were not privileged with wealth, we were rich in love and support. My memories revolve around family time. We could make anything a party. It didn’t matter what we had, as long as we were together. We might have been eating tuna fish sandwiches, but it felt like a feast because we were laughing and enjoying one another. From an early age, I learned that joy is not about an abundance of things; it is about an abundance of love.

The second thing that shaped me was the belief that I could accomplish whatever goals I set for myself. That belief was instilled in me early and reinforced often. I embraced and lived out that principle by becoming the first in my family to achieve certain milestones. I was the first to graduate from college. The first to earn a graduate degree. The first to own a home. The list goes on.

But those accomplishments did not begin with me. I built on the pioneering sacrifices and resilience of those who came before me. My grandmother stood firm as the first Black female building superintendent in a neighborhood that wasn’t very diverse. My grandfather did not make it past eighth grade, yet he taught me to read the newspaper. I was reading the Daily News at age three because of a grandfather who didn’t make it to the eighth grade.

The third defining principle of my upbringing was simple: If you are blessed, be a blessing. If you are able to help—whether a little or a lot—do it. Sometimes that means offering a kind word or sharing a laugh. Sometimes it means rolling up your sleeves and pitching in. In my family, we were helpers and doers. We believed we should be part of the solution. My family’s small contribution to this is that we worked hard to honor the sacrifices of those who came before us, while steadying our shoulders for the next generation to stand on.

In many ways, I feel like my story is a reflection of what Black history means. We often hear about breaking glass ceilings, but I think Black history is about breaking through brick walls. It is about vision, perseverance, and the unshakable belief that a better future is possible. Black history is comprised of the stories of the descendants of the African diaspora who have been historically disenfranchised, underestimated, undervalued, and mistreated, yet we build. We create. We innovate. And we rise.

This deep commitment to lifting as we climb and to family and community is directly aligned with the mission of The Child Center.

Before I found The Child Center, I worked in industries from media to entertainment to investment banking, but in my real life, I’m a church girl—a person with a heart to give and to help. I always volunteer, mentor young people, and find ways to serve. So the opportunity to work for a nonprofit felt like the right alignment. I thought, “Now I can do work that makes me feel like I’m doing good in the world!”

Nine months later, that feeling has only grown stronger. As Vice President of Talent Integration, I oversee three teams: Talent Acquisition, Onboarding, and Employee Experience. Together, these departments steward the end-to-end employee journey—from applicant to retiree, and every stage in between.

When bringing new talent into the organization, we begin with a commitment to hiring from the communities we serve. My teams partner with local colleges and advertise in neighborhood schools, libraries, and community hubs so that the people who live there know we want them to be a part of our mission. Of course, we also use traditional recruitment strategies, including advertising our roles on social media, attending career events, and reaching out to potential candidates on job boards. We often narrow our searches by neighborhood. The people who live in a community understand what that community needs.

For current employees, we focus on engagement across divisions. We try to keep a pulse on what the staff needs. We prioritize appreciating staff and listening to feedback to understand what we can do to better support them. Employee Experience has executed several campaigns to demonstrate these sentiments, and I look forward to digging deeper to drive collaboration and connection across the organization.

I am filled with pride when I see the dedication of people we hire. They are compassionate advocates for youth and families in schools, the community, and within the walls of our residential facility. There is also a sense of urgency with all of this work. We understand the importance of the roles we fill and know that each time we onboard a new staff member, that could mean a new classroom opens, or a person in need can receive support. My goal is to continue refining the strategies that elevate how we serve our internal teams so that we remain an employer of choice—strong enough to attract and retain the talent our communities deserve.

My experience here has been short, but it has been positive and wonderful. Working with Mary Streett, Chief Talent and Culture Officer, has been fantastic. And I love my team members! They are dedicated, thoughtful, and committed to doing their best work. I admire and respect the leaders across every division. Each faces unique challenges, yet they all are devoted to delivering on their promises. That kind of devotion doesn’t come from a directive—it comes from within. It comes from a shared drive to make a difference.

In my office, there is a wall that tells my story. It displays some of my proudest accomplishments. First, my spiritual accomplishments, which include certificates from a six-month course I completed where I learned to read and interpret Hebrew and Koine Greek so I could better understand the languages in which the Bible was written. Next are my academic accomplishments. I am a Bronx native and attended Lehman College for my undergraduate work and later Penn State, where I received my master’s degree. Both challenged me in the best ways. Lastly, there are my professional accomplishments, which include various human resources credentials from SHRM and other professional organizations. But in the center of all this paper are photos of my family and closest friends. They are my support system, my biggest cheerleaders and the loves of my life. They are who and what I am most proud of.

Together, they tell the story of who I am—from my roots to my leaves, all parts of the same tree. That, too, is Black history: spiritual growth and intellectual pursuit, ties to the past and responsibility for the future. It is legacy in motion. And I am proud every day to be part of it.