Denise Jones named Chief Operating Officer

Denise Jones has been appointed Associate Executive Director and Chief Operating Officer of The Resource Center.

Mrs. Jones has worked for the not-for-profit agency since 1990, joining TRC as its first Internal Auditor. She worked in the capacity until 1997, when she was promoted to Finance Director. In 2004 she was named Chief Financial Officer and Assistant Executive Director for Administrative Services.

In her new role, Mrs. Jones will be responsible for providing executive leadership and support to all components of agency operations; providing executive-level guidance and support to all departments; helping to guide the development and execution of strategic plans and outcomes management; supporting the coordination of interdepartmental policies, procedures and operational activities; and assisting in ensuring financial stability and growth of The Resource Center and affiliated organizations through the development and oversight of business planning, long-term financial plans, and service and financial oversight of support and service departments.

In announcing her appointment, Executive Director Paul Cesana noted, “Mrs. Jones has a great appreciation of our mission and a keen understanding of The Resource Center’s role in serving individuals with disabling conditions and their families. She has in-depth knowledge of the complexities of the federal and state regulations, funding methodologies and operational requirements inherent within the various and diverse services provided by TRC. Throughout her career at The Resource Center, Mrs. Jones has exhibited impressive leadership skills and has focused on the people we’re here to serve. She possesses the skills required to deal with our many internal and external customers as well as the capacity to assess needed changes and the courage to implement them.”

Though she always has been acutely aware of all facets of TRC’s financial operations, Mrs. Jones said one of the biggest challenges in her new position will be to become more involved in assessing how TRC delivers its services. The agency, the third-largest employer in Chautauqua County, provides a wide range of services to thousands of people.

During the course of her 18 years with TRC, Mrs. Jones has witnessed a number of significant changes. “There’s been an explosion in the services we provide,” she said, adding that some of that growth has been driven by changes in state and federal regulations regarding the provision of services to people with disabilities. Those changes have led to greater governmental oversight.

“The whole landscape has changed in terms of compliance and expectations connected with the services provided,” said Mrs. Jones. She is proud of the fact TRC was somewhat of a trendsetter by instituting a corporate compliance component when it brought her on board as its internal auditor in 1990.

“Corporate compliance officers are pretty commonplace now, but back then it wasn’t.”

She said that agencies such as TRC must be flexible and adapt to changing conditions. She said that has been especially true with the changes in the governor’s office in the past and the appointment of new commissioners to the governing bodies that oversee TRC’s operations. Federal, state and local governments also are focusing more attention on the use of government dollars, which finance many of the services people with disabilities obtain through TRC.

“There’s always pressure to do more with less, to continue to meet people’s needs in a financially responsible way,” Mrs. Jones said.

Agencies such as TRC also must be flexible and innovative in the provision of services, she said. She cited Allied Industries, TRC’s employment and manufacturing division, as an example. In addition to performing subcontracting work for dozens of area businesses, Allied Industries manufactures a variety of products for the federal government. In recent years, Allied has manufactured $30 million in products annually for the government. These products, many of which involve complex specifications and manufacturing processes, require diligent oversight. In addition to providing employment for people with disabilities, the revenues from the government contracts assist TRC in meeting its cash-flow requirements.

“Big organizations can become bureaucratic. Every individual is unique, so we try not to use a cookie-cutter approach to provide for the needs of people.”

When Mrs. Jones joined TRC, most of the agency’s services were center-based – people came to a location to access the services they needed. Today, many services are community- or home-based, making them more tailored to each individual. This assists people with disabilities in getting the most that life has to offer.

“We’re working with people to enable them to do things on their own. We’re empowering them. We don’t want people to continually need us for the same things.”

Mrs. Jones views TRC’s staff of more than 1,200 people as one of the agency’s greatest assets.

“We’re a significant presence in the community. Our staff members are excellent ambassadors for us,” she said. “In addition, we have a number of employment opportunities and a continuing need for competent, dedicated staff.”

Mrs. Jones said it is sobering to think of the impact The Resource Center has in the community – from staff members and their families, to service recipients and their families and caregivers, to the area businesses that rely on the money that TRC and its employees spend.

“There are so many lives in this community that depend on this organization,” said Mrs. Jones, adding that working for TRC is “an exciting place to be.”

She relishes her years spent at TRC and looks forward to the future in her new role.

“At the end of the day, you really get the sense that you’ve made a difference in the community and for the people we serve.”

Mrs. Jones, a Jamestown native, earned her master of science in strategic leadership from Roberts Wesleyan College, and during her coursework she received the program’s Outstanding Academic Achievement Award for earning the highest grade-point average among her peers. She obtained a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Binghamton University and an associate of science in business administration from Jamestown Community College. She is a certified public accountant.

Mrs. Jones currently is the treasurer of Hillcrest Baptist Church, where she also serves on the Finance Committee and as the coordinator of the ski club. She previously served on the board of the Girl Scouts of Southwestern New York and chaired that organization’s finance committee.

She and her husband, Steven, live in the Town of Ellicott with their children, Christopher and Dana.

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