Roy L. Jones has a B.A. from Rutgers University, M.A. from Glassboro State College/Rowan University, and M.S. in Business & Community Economic Development from Southern New Hampshire University and Doctoral work from Temple University in Urban Education and Mass Communication. While at southern New Hampshire University, Mr. Jones received a U.S. Dept. HUD, Fellowship.

Education  Background

Roy L. Jones   has a B.A., economics and history from Rutgers University, M.A. from Rowan University, in education and school communications, M.S. in Business & Community Economic Development, from Southern New Hampshire University, and Doctoral work from Temple University in Urban Education and Mass Communication. While at Southern New Hampshire University, I received a United States Dept. of Housing and Urban Development, Fellowship and became a Senior Environmental Fellow in 2008. Film scholarship-Scribe Video School, Philadelphia Penna. 2023, and recipient of the NJ Humanities Council 2024 Community Reporters Training Fellowship. NJ.

Distinguished Awards

• Received the distinguished Rutgers University Chancellor’s Award for Outstanding Community and Civic Engagement-2016 connected to my leadership in desegregating the university and proposing and securing diversity programs in women, Black History and Urban Studies.
• Received Proclamation from Camden City Council for distinguish Environmental Justice and Health legacy work-Dec. 2023.
• Induction into the Rutgers University Living History Association- October 2022
• Received Environmental Justice Awards-NJ Env. Federation-2003-2007.

Environmental Justice and Community Engagement

• Civil rights, community engagement and social justice organizing span 47+ years.
• Began activism in 1968 and environmental justice work advocating against building an incinerator in Camden, New Jersey, one of New Jersey’s most impoverished and toxic communities (1991).
• Serve on Ministerial staff at two South Jersey Churches-Mt Zion Baptist Pleasantville and New Community Baptist-Collingswood NJ-ministry of social  and environmental justice focus-2010-2024.
• Other environmental justice accomplishments completed to date include the following:  providing technical assistance to faith and community-based organizations, organizing a series of city-wide town meetings about lead in school water systems resulting in over $33 million dollars in infrastructure improvements, successfully advocating for over $220 million dollars in  funds to clean-up three Superfund sites, Puchak Superfund Well Water Contamination, Gas Mantle Superfund and the Martin Aarons Superfund sites
• Supported stopping the export of Radioactive Water to New Jersey’s most over-burdened city
• Drafted recommendations to local, state, and federal officials to improve environmental conditions in Camden City and this region-2001-2024.
• Participated in a network with the U.S. Steelworkers Union regarding PFOA contamination issues at the DuPont Plant in Deepwater, Salem County, New Jersey-DuPont advocacy, lawsuit, and settlement, resulted in doctors confirming the presence of the toxin-PFOA in the blood/urine of DuPont workers and in the water systems of three towns in Salem County, near the DuPont Plant
• Leadership involvement exposing lead poisoned water resulted in a class-action lawsuit over Camden’s 22-year history of contaminated school and residential water systems-that disaster affected 90,000Camden residents, 22,000 school students and 3500 school employees.
• Organized and hosted post Hurricane Sandy Town Meetings in (2013-2014) regarding FEMA assistance and “Climate Change and Catastrophic Flooding Health and Environmental Impacts from the Storm” and later issued a report to CRDA about Atlantic City’s climate vulnerabilities.
• Helped co-found the South Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance and the New Jersey Environmental Justice Alliance in 2002.
• Among (10) persons nominated by the Philadelphia Inquirer (2010) as Person of the Year for pioneering work that successfully led to the preservation and conservation of Petty’s Island – the largest urban island in the Delaware Valley with heralded Native American, European, African slavery and ecological history-2007.
• Secured funding, wrote documentary script, and co-produced a film documentary: Precious Places – A Historical and Ecological Portrait of Petty’s Island-copies of documentary available.
• Researched and submitted applications to preserve Petty’s Island to the New Jersey Dept. of Historic Preservation and the National Registry of Historic Places and secured famous Actor Danny Glover to do the voice over in the film-two million dollars committed by the New Jersey and CITGO to prepare a national environmental and historical exhibit for area students and tourists on Petty’s Island-Pennsauken, New Jersey.
• Anti-Toxic Schools advocacy resulted in the New Jersey Dept. of Environmental Protection officials agreeing to promulgate new regulations about how and where schools should be built in New Jersey and
• Authored a special schools’ and the environment report: Toxic Schools in New Jersey-report detailed the breadth and scope of toxic conditions in and or near schools in New Jersey.
• Co-founded the National Institute for Healthy Human Spaces; Inc-NIHHS addresses environmental justice and community empowerment issues in region.
• Prepared an Environmental Justice Working Paper, for the Philadelphia-based Bread and Roses Fund, Regional Town hall Forum titled: “Displacement and Environmental Devastation,” delivered in Philadelphia at the Friends Meeting Hall-2016
• Provided technical assistance regarding mold contamination found in elementary schools and commissioned by former school superintendent Dr. Fitts to conduct workshops with the school district administrators and principals about the intersection of the environment, school performance and developmental disabilities in children.
• Assisting in planning and securing funds for a Native American Pow Wow scheduled for Penn Treaty Park, Philadelphia PA-by the NAHA INC group- September 2022-2024
• Currently providing capacity building, grant, and technical support for Team Haiti USA
• Secured passage of Philadelphia City Resolution in Solidarity with Haiti Resolution-2023
• Incorporated and secured 501©(3) for Team Haiti USA-International Research and Entrepreneurial Center, Inc-February 2021- 2024 Nonprofit assistance and advocacy

Arts Experience—Including Film and Book Releases:

Expect release of a film and book by August 30, 2024: Environmental Genocide: An Autopsy of Fractured Lives and Dead Bodies, andCamden Under Siege: How Political Bosses Subverted Democracy and Devastated a Great American City: Camden, New Jersey 1876-2024…to be released September  2024.

New Film Production:  The Untold Story of Native Americans and Philadelphia

Release date: Nov. 2024 ( for the Native American House Alliance) Phila. Pa.

Hosted a Photo Exhibit and Retrospective on the Camden Civil Rights and Black Student Movement at Rutgers-Camden African Bookstore-2014.