Dedicated Community Leader and Chairman of the Board, South Broward Hospital District In 1946, Albert C. Jones was born in a small, one-story, frame structure known as Provident Hospital – Broward County’s first and only African American hospital (est. 1938). Today, he is Chairman of the Board of the South Broward Hospital District, one of the largest public healthcare systems in the nation. “God is good,” says Jones. “I wish my mother had lived to see this.”

In 1999, Florida Governor Jeb Bush appointed Jones to the South Broward Hospital District Board of Commissioners – the governing board of Memorial Healthcare System that includes Memorial Regional Hospital, Joe DiMaggio Children’s Hospital, Memorial Hospital West and Memorial Hospital Pembroke. Jones was named Chairman of the Board four years later. Throughout his tenure, he has been personally involved with many of Memorial’s extensive community projects.

“Memorial Healthcare System is leaps and bounds above other healthcare providers in community involvement,” says Jones. “They deal with the total person. The Healthcare System is always pushing the envelope to expand their involvement with community activism and community empowerment, and I am proud to be a part of it. In my opinion, they are doing the best of any provider in South Florida and should be used as a national model.” Notably, Memorial Healthcare System is committed to providing quality healthcare to all residents of the community, regardless of ability to pay.

A Lifelong Focus on Positive Attitude and Education
When his mother, Rhodie, died of stomach cancer, Jones was only 2. His father, Milton, was determined to raise their two young sons as he had promised his wife – against family advice that he should separate them to be cared for by relatives. Jones’ father remarried and his step mother, Mildred, assisted in rearing and nurturing the boys. Jones speaks with great admiration about his father’s love and dedication for family. “I have a father who set a strong example. He has always been a hard worker,” says Jones. “Sometimes I thought I wouldn’t be able to do what I wanted with my life, but my father and step mother have always been there to support me.”

Commissioner Albert Jones family – his daughter Alison (seated) and his wife (Carolyn).

In addition to strong values and a positive outlook, education has always been important to Jones and his family. He is extremely proud of his older brother, Milton L. Jones, who graduated from Florida A&M University and is doing very well in real estate and commercial development. He speaks lovingly about his wife, Carolyn, an educator at Attucks Middle School, and their daughter Alison, who is a sophomore in college. He also talks about graduating from Attucks High School and receiving an athletic scholarship to Edward Waters College in Jacksonville, Florida, where he earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Physical Education. “Not a day goes by that I don’t thank God for my degrees,” says Jones, who went on to earn a Master of Arts in Curriculum and Instruction from the University of Northern Colorado.

In 1968, Jones began the first of more than 35 years in education. He taught Physical Education and American History, and coached football and swimming at McArthur High School during his 27 years there. He left McArthur to become Supervisor of Special Needs for the Broward County School Board. He later went on to teach at Nova Middle School and later at the Quest Center, a school for developmentally and physically challenged students. When Everglades High School was reaching completion, Principal Paul Fletcher asked Jones to join the new staff as a dean, citing Jones’ skills interacting with students and their parents. Jones accepted the position. “Over the years, I have made it a point to tell all of my students that no matter where they go, it’s what they do when they get there that counts,” says Jones.

Living His Purpose as an Advocate and an Activist
Jones is familiar with what it takes to facilitate positive change in the community. He helped create the College Gardens Neighborhood Association to address issues of crime, code enforcement and education in Dania Beach. He is incumbent president of the Jerome E. Gray Republican Club and outreach chairman for the Broward Republican Executive Committee. He also has served as a city commissioner for the City of Dania Beach and currently serves as vice-chairman of the city’s Charter Review Board. His most recent appointment was to the Community Advisory Board of WLRN, a radio and educational television station in Miami. Jones continues to maintain affiliations with a number of community and civic groups.

In addition to his work in education and healthcare, Jones serves his community as a deacon and Sunday school teacher at St. Ruth Missionary Baptist Church. The church was founded in 1908 and is the oldest African American church in Dania Beach. As destiny would have it, he recently took the helm of the church’s building committee to continue an idea which he suggested at one of the church’s leadership meetings.

Jones credits his family’s long-standing dedication to community involvement for inspiring him to become one of the voices of Dania Beach. “My grandparents worked tirelessly in helping to build the current church which was constructed in 1957, and now I’m the chairman of the land expansion committee for the new multi-purpose addition we’re getting ready to build,” says Jones. “I am living my purpose through my involvement in Memorial Healthcare System, the Dania community and my church.”