Dr. Gary L. Jones, Ph.D. Chief Executive Officer
Dr. Gary L. Jones has served Youth For Tomorrow since 1988 when Founder and Chairman Joe Gibbs enlisted the services of the former U.S. Under Secretary of Education and former Executive Director of the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation to provide advice on increasing the effectiveness and accountability of the Board of Trustees, consult on all aspects of the YFT program and corporate matters and create a highly successful private philanthropy outreach.
In 1996, with eight boys in the home, the YFT Board of Trustees appointed Dr. Jones as Chief Executive Officer. The boys were served by staff members in one residential facility and a temporary school structure. As of 2021, under Dr. Jones’ 33 years of leadership as CEO and a robust Capital Campaign beginning in 2000, there are now 11 residential facilities, a 40,000 sq. ft. school and a 335 seat chapel on its 215 acre campus.
Since 2003, YFT has expanded its residential program to include girls – specifically offering a Mommy & Me Program for pregnant teens and girls with infants and services for exploited and sexually trafficked domestic teenage girls. It began serving children from several foreign countries in 2012 – particularly those from Central American countries.
YFT further expanded its multi-dimensional offerings of services to children and adults whose lives are in crisis by providing behavioral health services through six (6) Regional Offices providing services in mental health assessments & evaluation, individual therapy marriage and couples counseling and substance abuse counseling, Providing Intensive In Home counseling in addition to Therapeutic Day Treatment to selected elementary and middle schools in the public school districts of Prince William, Fairfax and Loudoun counties began in 2012 as well.
As of 2020, YFT annually serves almost 800 children in residential services and additionally, provides over 28,000 counseling sessions to boys, girls and their families in crisis through its BHS programs.
Since 2014, YFT has become nationally accredited by the Council On Accreditation (NY, NY), Joint Commission (Oakbrook Terrace, IL) and AdvancED (Atlanta, GA.).
In addition to his leadership at YFT, Dr. Jones also serves on the Boards of private providers of social, educational and behavioral health services: Virginia Association of Independent Specialized Education Facilities (VAISEF President, 2014-2018), Virginia Coalition of Private Providers Association, President (2018-2020) and the Virginia Council for Private Education, Chairman (VCPE, 2010-2012).
Prior to his service with YFT, Dr. Jones served President Ronald Reagan as the U.S. Under Secretary of Education from 1982-1985 and as Acting Secretary in early 1985.
A Northern Virginia resident, he also served seven years on the Fairfax County School Board and was its Chairman from 1992-1995. He served two terms on the Virginia State Board of Education.
A Michigan native, Jones graduated from Albion College and received a Master’s in Education Administration in 1969 and Doctorate in Administration & Higher Education from Michigan State University in 1975.
