Betony Jones

Director of Program Development

Betony is pragmatic and principled in developing solutions for rural sustainability. She is passionate, strategic, and ambitious about establishing new systems to support healthy communities, intact ecosystems, and thriving economies in the Sierra Nevada and around the world. Betony is a social and civic entrepreneur, translating complex challenges into opportunities for progress through the development and implementation of innovative programs and projects that bring people together to find and build on common ground. 

Professional Experience

Betony joined SBC in January 2005 as a program manager working on the Sierra Nevada Conservancy and Placer Legacy. She has helped author several reports including State of Sierra Agriculture and State of the Sierra and has given numerous presentations throughout the state on sustainable forestry opportunities, carbon sequestration and climate policy, green economy, and relocalization as a rural development strategy. As Director of Program Development, she acts as a social entreprenuer exploring new ways to pioneer innovative programs that foster social fairness, community vitality, environmental quality, and economic prosperity in the Sierra Nevada. In this role, she has led SBC's efforts to develop new markets for ecosystem services including carbon sequestration, establishment of the Local First program, and the Sierra Nevada Energy Watch.

Betony moved westward after five years on the east coast. For three years, while in graduate school, she taught biology, ecology, mapping, and botany courses at Yale University. Before graduate school, she worked in the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy and the US Global Change Research Program to improve the nation’s understanding of climate change science. She also worked with the Grameen Foundation, helping to develop a program to expand micro-credit in Latin America.

Prior to joining SBC Betony worked with the League of Conservation Voters as a field coordinator and community organizer managing a campaign office in Salem, Oregon for the 2004 Presidential election.

Education
Betony earned her Masters degree from the Yale School of Forestry and Environmental Studies, where she studied social ecology, seeking to integrate economics, political science, and sociology into her scientific understanding of the natural world. She studied a pre-med curriculum and earned a B.S. degree in plant biology from the University of Michigan. Additionally, Betony has conducted extensive research in India, Borneo, and Panama on social justice and environmental issues emerging from development policies. She has published several articles on her research and is currently working on a book.

Personal Highlights
Originally from Grand Rapids, Michigan, Betony loves the sunny California weather and most enjoys biking, running, hiking, and skiing. Embarrassed to admit it, when the sun goes down, she often relaxes with dense non-fiction books and academic articles on topics she knows little about. Betony has traveled extensively, speaks several languages, and is pretending to learn French with audio CDs.