GCSU Leadership Programs to host Federal Judge 

On Monday, March, at 5 p.m., Georgia College & State University Leadership Programs will host the Hon. Steve C. Jones, Senior United States District Court Judge. The event will mark the first in the Usery Forum on Leadership series for 2025.

Steve C. Jones is a Senior United States District Court Judge, appointed by former President Barack Obama in 2011. In this role, he presides over cases that involve the United States government, the United States Constitution, federal laws, controversies between citizens of different states and other matters. Jones holds a bachelor’s degree in management and juris doctor degree, both from the University of Georgia. 

“We are deeply honored to welcome Judge Jones to Georgia College,” said Dr. Harold Mock, director of leadership programs. “He has spent decades in public service and in service to others. I know our students will benefit from his wisdom and insights.’”

Prior to his nomination to the district court, Jones served as a superior court judge in Athens-Clarke and Oconee counties for 16 years. In this role, he presided over civil and criminal cases, as well as substance abuse treatment program. Judge Jones served as an Athens-Clarke County Municipal Court Judge (1992–1995), Assistant District Attorney for the Western Judicial Circuit (1987–1991), and Director of the Athens Child Support Recovery Unit (1978–1985). 

Jones has offered his time and leadership to numerous academic, community, legal and social organizations. He is a managing trustee and secretary for the University of Georgia Foundation and a member of the University of Georgia Athletic Association Board. He is also a past president of the UGA Alumni Association and the UGA Chapter of the National Football Foundation & College Football Hall of Fame. He is a former chair of the University of Georgia School of Law’s Board of Visitors. 

Jones has won many awards for his judicial and community service, including the UGA School of Law’s Distinguished Service Scroll Award, the University of Georgia’s Fulfilling the Dream Award and the Blue Key Service Award. In 2007, he received the Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by the Junior League of Athens and Athens First Bank & Trust, and he was named Omega Citizen of the Year by the Zeta Beta Beta Chapter of Omega Psi Phi Fraternity. Other awards and honors include: Leadership Georgia’s E. Dale Threadgill Community Service Award, the Chief Justice Robert Benham Award for Community Service, the Gate City Bar Association’s Outstanding Jurist Award, the Association of Legal Professionals’ Legal Professional of the Year Award and the State Bar/Young Lawyers Division Judicial Service Award. 

The forum will be hosted by Georgia College Leadership Programs. 

The event is free and open to the public and will be held in the Magnolia Ballroom in Milledgeville. To learn more, visit the event webpage. 

The Usery Forum on Leadership honors the legacy of U.S. Secretary of Labor W.J. Usery Jr., exploring leadership that brings people together in service to the public good. The series is supported by a generous gift from Mr. and Mrs. Melvin and Eleyce Usery.

About Georgia College Leadership Programs

Georgia College’s Office of Leadership Programs provides teaching, research and public service related to leadership, citizenship, democracy and public affairs. With the support of a distinguished faculty and practitioners, we educate the next generation of Georgia’s leaders for the public good. Our programs bring together scholars and students, as well as business leaders, non-profit executives, journalists and public officials and offer a trusted forum on citizen-leadership and pressing issues of the day.

For more information, please visit www.gcsu.edu/leadership or contact leadership.programs@gcsu.edu or 478-445-1227.