Representative Adrienne Jones Contact information

Adrienne Alease Jones (born November 20, 1954) is an American politician who has served as the 107th Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates since 2019. A member of the Democratic Party, she is the first African-American and first woman to serve in that position in Maryland. She has represented District 10 in the Maryland House of Delegates since 1997.

Born in the historically African-American community of Cowdensville in Arbutus, Maryland, Jones was the second of five children. She attended Baltimore County public schools and graduated from Lansdowne High School, and later attended the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, where she earned a B.A. degree in psychology in 1976.

After graduating, Jones worked as a clerk in the Baltimore County’s Office of Central Services. She first became involved in politics in 1979, when started working as a legislative officer for Baltimore County Executive Donald P. Hutchinson. In 1987, Jones became a member of Woman Power, Inc., a voter education organization. From 1989 to 1995, she worked as the director of the Office of Minority Affairs in Baltimore County, Maryland, afterwards working as the executive director of the Office of Fair Practices and Community Affairs until 2011. Jones later worked as the deputy director of the Office of Human Resources until 2014.

Jones was a member of the Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee and applied to fill a vacancy in the Maryland House of Delegates following the death of then-state delegate Joan N. Parker in 1997. Her candidacy was backed by several local area politicians, including Baltimore County Executive Dutch Ruppersberger, state senators Delores G. Kelley and Shirley Nathan-Pulliam, and state delegate Emmett C. Burns Jr. The Baltimore County Democratic Central Committee voted to nominate her out of a field of 16 candidates.

Jones took over as Acting Speaker of the Maryland House of Delegates on April 7, 2019, following the death of then-Speaker Michael E. Busch. A few days later, following Busch’s funeral, she announced that she would run for Speaker, becoming the first candidate to declare an intention to run.

As the first Executive Director of the Baltimore County Office of Fair Practices and Community Affairs, she faithfully served the citizens of the County for over 37 years. She served as Deputy Director of the Baltimore County Office of Human Resources until her retirement from service in Baltimore County Government on June 30, 2014. During her civil service career, she worked with diverse populations of the County with dedication and sensitivity and founded the annual Baltimore County African American Cultural Festival.