Steve Jones, MBA, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
SVP Operations, COO/CHRO Towson University
Steve Jones, Senior Vice President of Campus Operations and COO/CHRO for Towson University, joined TU in December 2017 as Associate Vice President of Human Resources.
He was named Senior VP of Campus Operations in February 2024.
His areas of responsibility include
- Human Resources (Staffing, Training, Organization Development, Pay, Benefits, HRIS, Employee/Labor Relations and University switchboard/reception),
- Facilities Management (Maintenance, Operations, Planning, Construction, Sustainability, Landscaping, Fleet, and Utilities),
- University Store
- Public Safety (Police, Emergency Preparedness),
- Parking & Transportation and
- Postal Services
These areas include more than 300 employees and an annual budget of over $50M.
Steve has more than 30 years of human resources experience including key HR leadership roles in the private and public sector with organizations such as Frito-Lay and the City of Raleigh, NC and has also been an adjunct instructor at Towson University as well as previously at Elon University and High Point University in North Carolina.
Steve also served as an elected school board member for over 20 years in North Carolina.
Steve holds a BS in Business Administration from Washington & Lee University in Lexington, VA and an MBA from High Point University in High Point, NC. He has also earned and maintained certification as a Senior Professional in Human Resources (SPHR) and a Senior Certified Professional (SCP) with the Society of Human Resource Management (SHRM).
Seminars
- Confronting shrinking labor pools and accelerating retirements across skilled trades and public safety roles by moving beyond reactive, lateral and traditional hiring models that no longer deliver sufficient qualified applicant pools or long-term retention in competitive metropolitan labor markets
- Launching a two-pronged workforce development strategy by creating dedicated outreach to local high schools and early career candidates, exposing students to skilled trades and campus law enforcement careers while pairing hands-on experience with eventual access to affordable education pathways through the University
- Delivering measurable hiring and retention impact by combining early pipeline development with a tiered employee referral bonus model that rewards employees for referring qualified candidates who are eventually hired , increasing applicant pools by 10–15% in hard to fill roles and achieving strong early retention, with the majority of referred hires remaining beyond six months and one year, proving the value of long-term, community anchored talent investment
- What breaks first when institutions rely too heavily on job boards, agencies, and last‑minute recruitment?
- How do employee advocacy, storytelling, referrals, and early pipeline investment change the shape of demand rather than just increasing volume?
- Where should universities intentionally stop investing in short‑term attraction tactics that never compound?
- How can leaders assess whether a talent strategy is becoming more self‑sustaining over time?
