CEO Bio

Thompson President/CEO Will Jones has devoted his career to child welfare, juvenile justice, and behavioral health services in residential and community-based programming.

Will started his career in 1994 with the Orange County Youth & Family Services Division in Florida where he spent eight years and led the organization to become the second public child welfare agency in Florida to be accredited by the Council on Accreditation (COA).

At the Children’s Home Society of Florida in Orlando – where Will was director of program operations from 2005 to 2008 – he had overall responsibility for more than 100 child welfare staff, a budget of $15 million and day-to-day operations of programs including adoption, foster care, two emergency shelters and more.

As senior vice president of One Hope United in Orlando, Fla., he was responsible for overseeing child protective services in seven Florida counties.

From 2012 to 2015, he was chief operating officer at Eckerd Youth Alternatives, one of the nation’s largest nonprofit child and family service organizations. As a member of the executive leadership team, he helped generate substantial national growth in direct service work and consulting. Eckerd had an annual budget of $185 million, and Will oversaw more than 40 programs in 11 states, including North Carolina.

In 2015, Will joined SAS, the largest privately owned software company in the world, as human services industry consultant. At SAS, he worked closely with state and local agencies and leaders to solve problems and improve outcomes using data analytics.

Since joining Thompson as President/CEO in 2017, Will Jones has steadily moved the organization forward and upward, guiding a staff of the most talented and sought-after professionals in the industry. Thompson is leading the charge among those addressing Charlotte’s various healthcare issues - particularly in the mental health field. Considered a thought leader and subject matter expert for speaking to the unique challenges that diverse populations and communities face; Will is frequently requested to report on Thompson’s impactful work that brings tangible resources and real-world solutions to children and families across North Carolina.

In the last five years under Will’s leadership; Thompson’s Foster Care services expanded across the entire state, we were the first agency to bring the evidence-based practice TFC-O to NC, Case Management services expanded to Florida, High-Fidelity Wraparound expanded threefold, Crisis Stabilization residential programming was implemented and expanded from one to three cottages, we acquired the nonprofit agency A Child’s Place, the Adira PRTF program began serving human trafficking victims, and Family Centered Treatment and Multi-Systemic Therapy were added to the continuum of services.

Will earned his undergraduate and master’s degrees in criminal justice from the University of Central Florida. Will, his wife Yereely, and their children live in Waxhaw.

Company Bio

About Thompson

Headquartered in Matthews, North Carolina (Mecklenburg County), Thompson Child & Family Focus is a human services leader transforming lives through early childhood, family stability, and mental health services. As a solutions-driven organization committed to rewriting narratives for the most vulnerable in our community; Thompson achieves this by providing comprehensive, evidence-based services, and trauma-informed care, for children (ages 0-18) and their families, virtually and in-person. Thompson is led by President/CEO Will Jones and employs over 340 staff in NC, SC, and FL. To read more about Thompson’s continuum of services online, go to thompsoncff.org, or email info@thompsoncff.org.

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CEOs You Should Know Charlotte