Former St. Louis Mayor Tishaura O. Jones has joined the board of Redemption Bank, a Utah-based Black-owned bank whose services are available online to St. Louis-area customers despite having no local branches.
Jones already had ties to Redemption. She helped develop and launch its Bank King Card, a debit card program that generates bank donations to nonprofits providing cash assistance to single mothers in government-subsidized housing.
“I look forward to bringing my experience in government, finance and public policy to the board as the company continues to grow,” Jones said.
Redemption itself is relatively new. A group led by Ashley Bell, a former Trump White House policy adviser, acquired Holladay Bank & Trust in Utah and turned it into a Black-owned bank. It began operating under the Redemption name in 2025.
Bernice King, daughter of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., is a co-founder and senior vice president of Redemption.
Bell, Redemption Bank’s executive chairman, said Jones’ earlier work with the bank gave its leaders a chance to see what she could bring to the board.
“We saw that leadership firsthand as she helped us develop Bank King Card,” Bell said. “She understands how institutions can work better for the people they serve.”
Jones was St. Louis mayor from 2021 to 2025 and was the first Black woman elected to the job. Before becoming mayor, she served as city treasurer and in the Missouri House. She now runs Oneda Consulting LLC.
Since leaving City Hall, Jones also has taken on academic roles. Earlier this year, she was a resident fellow at Harvard Kennedy School’s Institute of Politics, where fellows work with students and lead study groups.
Jones also was the inaugural visiting distinguished fellow in residence at Washington University’s Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity & Equity, participating in programs on civic leadership, local government and public policy.