Kirsten Jones

Kirsten Jones

Degree: 2016, M.A.

Job Title: Leadership Fellow, The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey

Kirsten Jones (M.A. ’16) is a Leadership Fellow at The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, a special district government that builds, operates, and maintains critical transportation and trade assets. Its network of aviation, rail, surface transportation and seaport facilities annually moves millions of people and transports vital cargo throughout the New York/New Jersey region. Kirsten works on a rotational basis within four departments, including Finance, Planning, Facilities, and Human Resources, to complete projects. She conducts research, writes analysis, and contributes to the development of policy recommendations designed to strengthen transportation and trade within the New York and New Jersey region.

Prior to joining The Port Authority, Kirsten was a research assistant at the Institute for Public Administration. Her graduate research, which mainly explored active transportation planning best practices, helped to create transportation and master plans for communities across Delaware. During Kirsten’s tenure at SPPA, she was the M.A. Representative for the Student Association for Policy and Administration (SAPA) and Executive Director and editor of New Visions for Public Affairs, SPPA’s journal of public affairs. 

Born and raised in Madison, Wisconsin, Kirsten was always interested in policy. Initially, she pursed education policy, which led her to Teach for America, where she taught middle school English for two years in Kansas City, and then proceeded to manage an after-school center in San Diego, California. Her experience working in education led her to understand the importance of planning and transportation as they relate to the overall betterment of society. She is excited to be now be living in New York City, implementing the lessons she learned at UD.