Former St. Louis Mayor Tishaura Jones will serve in a semester-long post at Washington University, the school has announced.
Jones will be the inaugural visiting distinguished fellow-in-residence at the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Equity beginning in the spring 2026 semester. She will “help reshape a series of public programs, according to the university.
“This opportunity allows me to share lessons from my journey in public service, and learn from the brilliant minds shaping our future,” she said. “I look forward to meaningful conversations, collaboration and continuing the work of building stronger, more inclusive communities.”
Jones served as mayor from 2021 to 2025 and was a member of the Missouri House (2008 to 2013) and city treasurer (2013 to 2021). She also was vice president of municipal finance at Blaylock Robert Van, an Oakland-based investment firm.
WashU said the part-time position is co-sponsored by George and Carol Bauer Leaders Academy; Weidenbaum Center on the Economy, Government, and Public Policy; Confluence Collaborative for Community Engagement; Gephardt Institute for Civic and Community Engagement; the Department of African & African American Studies; Department of Women, Gender, and Sexuality Studies; and the Center for Humanities and the Engaged City.