Riley Jones is a JRF Alum from the Class of 2017. He received a B.A. from Columbia in Political Science and American Studies where he was a Mellon Mays Undergraduate Fellow and winner of the University’s George William Curtis Prize in Persuasive Oration. He has extensive experience with Black Alumni Council of Columbia University, where he focuses on building the infrastructure for Black Columbia student and alumni success, along with the broader Harlem community. He is also the Co-Founder and CEO of Bloc; a company using artificial intelligence to create and facilitate opportunity pathways for the new economy. He was named a 2019 Forbes 30 Under 30 Social Entrepreneur.

He is a 2020 J.D. graduate from the New York University School of Law, supported by the JRF Extra Innings Fellowship. At NYU, he was the inaugural Nordlicht Scholar in the Grunin Center for Law and Social Entrepreneurship. He also received a master’s degree in Education Entrepreneurship from the University of Pennsylvania Graduate School of Education. He is a professional singer and regular theatergoer in his spare time.

School: Columbia University
Graduation Year: 2017
Major: Political Science
Employer: Founder in Residence, NYU’s Entrepreneurial Institute Home State/City: Chicago, Illinois