Avis Jones-DeWeever

Avis A. Jones-DeWeever, Ph.D., is the director of the Research, Public Policy, and Information Center. The RPPI Center is a research-action institute based at the National Council of Negro Women that seeks to inform, catalyze, and mobilize African-American women for change in both the policy arena and throughout the broader cultural dynamic.

Dr. Jones-DeWeever is the author of numerous publications focused on policy issues of particular importance to women of color. A selection of her works include: Losing Ground: Women and the Foreclosure Crisis; Black Girls in New York: Quiet Strength, Bold Resilience; Women in the Wake of the Storm: Examining the Post-Katrina Realities of the Women of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast; and The Black Women and Families' Agenda for Change.

In addition to her written contributions, Dr. Jones-DeWeever is a highly sought-after political commentator and public speaker. Her policy perspectives have been shared through a variety of media outlets, including CNN, PBS, ABC News, Voice of America Television, The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation, National Public Radio, Sirius and XM Radio, Glamour magazine, Pink magazine, Essence magazine, The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Huffington Post, and Vital Speeches of the Day.

Dr. Jones-DeWeever received her Ph.D. in government and politics from the University of Maryland, College Park. She serves on the board of directors of the Women’s Voices. Women’s Vote. Action Fund, the advisory board of Wider Opportunities for Women, and maintains the position of affiliated scholar with the Institute for Women’s Policy Research.