Patricia Jones. Source: https://www.segoleadership.org/about/
Olympus High School. Photo: An Errant Knight, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_High_School,_Apr_17.jpg)
University of Utah. Photo: University of Utah, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Park_Building_at_the_University_of_Utah.jpg)
Utah House of Representatives. Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_Chamber_inside_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011.jpg)
Utah State Senate. Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girl_Scouts_visit_the_Senate_Chamber_in_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011.jpg)
Olympus High School. Photo: An Errant Knight, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Olympus_High_School,_Apr_17.jpg)
University of Utah. Photo: University of Utah, CC BY 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:The_Park_Building_at_the_University_of_Utah.jpg)
Utah House of Representatives. Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:House_Chamber_inside_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011.jpg)
Utah State Senate. Photo: Scott Catron from Sandy, Utah, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0, via Wikimedia Commons (https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Girl_Scouts_visit_the_Senate_Chamber_in_the_Utah_State_Capitol_-_Feb._2011.jpg)
politician researcher businessperson
Patricia W. Jones was born on January 31, 1950, in Salt Lake City, Utah. She was raised and educated in Utah, attending Olympus High School before studying journalism at the University of Utah.
Her professional life developed in Salt Lake City's business, research, and civic environment. She later combined public-opinion research and business management with elected office, community service, and work promoting women's participation in leadership.
Jones attended Olympus High School before receiving a Bachelor of Science degree in journalism from the University of Utah, graduating magna cum laude. The University of Utah, founded in 1850, is Utah's public flagship research university and has long served as a major institution in the state's professional and civic life.
She also received professional training in qualitative research and focus-group moderation from the Oregon Research Institute. This training supported her later work in market research and public-opinion consulting.
Jones began her business career in public-opinion and market research. In 1980 she co-founded Dan Jones & Associates with her husband, Dan E. Jones, and worked for approximately thirty-five years as a qualitative researcher, focus-group moderator, and company executive. The Salt Lake City firm conducted public-opinion and market research for political, public-policy, and commercial clients, becoming a prominent Utah research organization.
Jones entered elected politics in Utah in 2001, serving in the House of Representatives for District 40 through 2006. She then represented Senate District 4 from 2007 through 2014. During her legislative career she became the first woman to hold leadership positions in both chambers and served as minority leader of the Senate. Her committee work included appropriations, public and higher education, health and human services, economic development, workforce services, judiciary, and government operations.
In 2015 Jones became the founding chief executive officer of the Women's Leadership Institute, a Utah organization created to increase women's representation and influence in business and civic leadership. She developed leadership programs, built partnerships with companies and community organizations, and promoted measurable commitments to advancing women. She announced her retirement as the institute's CEO in April 2024 after nearly a decade of service.
Jones co-founded and helped lead Dan Jones & Associates, a prominent Utah public-opinion and market-research firm, while developing professional expertise in qualitative research and focus-group moderation.
She became the first woman to hold leadership positions in both chambers of the Utah Legislature and served as minority leader of the Utah Senate.
As founding chief executive officer of the Women's Leadership Institute, Jones established leadership programs and partnerships designed to increase women's participation in Utah business and civic institutions.
Jones is a Democrat whose political career developed in Utah's increasingly competitive partisan environment. She served in the Utah House of Representatives from 2001 to 2006 and in the Utah State Senate from 2007 to 2014, representing districts in Salt Lake County.
In the Senate, Jones served as minority leader and participated in appropriations, education, health and human services, workforce, economic development, ethics, and judiciary-related work. Her public positions combined Democratic participation in a Republican-dominated state with attention to education, public health, economic development, disability concerns, and women's advancement in civic and professional leadership.
Jones's public work reflects a belief that leadership capacity can be developed through education, experience, collaboration, and access to opportunity. Her leadership initiatives have emphasized the importance of women's participation in business, government, and civic institutions, as well as the value of practical commitments to improving representation.
Quotations: "Esteem comes from within and can be used in one's spheres of influence to change the world."
Jones was associated with the National Qualitative Research Consultants Association and with the academic honor societies Phi Kappa Phi, Golden Key, and Kappa Tau Alpha. The research association promotes professional standards and exchange among qualitative researchers, while the honor societies recognize academic achievement and leadership.
Jones has described curiosity, asking simple questions, and continued learning as important to her approach to research and leadership. Colleagues and institutional tributes have characterized her public work as collaborative and committed to expanding opportunities for women.
Quotes from others about the person
At her retirement from the Women's Leadership Institute, board members credited Jones with building partnerships, leadership programs, and a lasting Utah organization focused on advancing women in leadership.
Jones was married to Dan E. Jones, a political pollster, public-opinion researcher, and University of Utah political science professor. They co-founded Dan Jones & Associates and worked together in Utah's research and civic communities. They had four children.
