Community Highlights: Meet LaTanya Buck Jones of The Red Brick Road Consulting and Coaching Collective

Today we’d like to introduce you to LaTanya Buck Jones.

Thank you so much for sharing your story and insight with our readers. To kick things off, how did you get started?
Originally from St. Louis, I was born to two teenage parents and reared in an expansive village. I grew up among a community of people who have taught me many life lessons, both inadvertently and with great intention. I am the maternal granddaughter of the late Mary Elizabeth Brown, who made the single-parenting of her eight children and numerous grandchildren look effortless. She is my inspiration and the OG strategist.

I was raised in a single-parent home, though always dual-parent loved and supported. Growing up in the housing projects on welfare, I never realized how (monetarily) poor we were until much later in life. Perhaps because I felt that I had all I needed…love, food, clothes, covering and a community of kids who bonded over our shared experiences and proximity to each other.

My mother is smart and curious, believing in the power of knowledge and education. She birthed me at 14 years old – a freshman in high school. This did not deter her from pursuing her academic ambitions. It was a challenge, I’m sure. As a kid, I sometimes rode public buses to Forest Park Community College and the University of Missouri-St. Louis to attend classes with her, sit on the sidelines of her Pan-African and revolutionary-centered student group meetings, and observe her organize rallies as a student activist. She graduated Magna Cum Laude with a bachelor’s degree in special education when I was in 8th grade. My father is resourceful and relentless; he has a “can do” spirit with an unmatched work ethic. He lost his mother when he was 13 years old and had no relationship with his father. He grew up quickly and navigated the streets of St. Louis and life at an early age. He had to. I always saw my dad work but never for anyone else (he has, I’m sure). The entrepreneurial and free spirit he is, he has always had multiple irons on the stove. When he was a general contractor of his own company for decades, I would observe him organize projects, manage people, and “do right” by clients and their resources. After semi-retiring from contracting, my father has pursued other ventures that feed his spirit and need for connectivity.

I share this as a sliver of my story for context about who has helped shape me. I learned from my grandmother and parents the power of knowledge, pride in self-identity, hustle, resilience, creativity, strategy, and freedom, among others. I could not have fully comprehended nor articulated what I had gleaned from them as a young person. But, what they have modeled, I get it now.

Fast forward. My teenage years culminated in many adjectives and descriptors: adventurous, tumultuous, traumatic, fun, lively, exploratory, education & black identity, mischievous, sometimes misguided, but always searching for something more. Something bigger. I graduated from Vashon High School in the 1990s. I attended Forest Park Community College for one year before transferring to Central Missouri State University (CMSU) (now the University of Central Missouri). Attending CMSU was one of the best experiences of my life. There, I found my voice as a student leader & organizer, nurtured my love for writing, established a broader community and connection, and learned about my future career path in higher education administration. I thrived in a student space. I graduated from CMSU with a bachelor’s degree in public relations and a master’s degree in college student personnel administration. I later earned my Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from Saint Louis University.

As an educator and diversity practitioner, I have professionally committed over 20 years to advocating, supporting, and engaging the holistic learning experience for students and peers around issues of access, equity, identity, and social justice. I have been privileged and honored to serve in many roles at several institutions: I was the founding director of the Center for Diversity and Inclusion at Washington University in St. Louis, served as director of the Cross-Cultural Center at Saint Louis University, worked in Admissions at Maryville University; and Multicultural Student Services at Southwest Missouri State University (now Missouri State University).

In 2016, I was humbled and proud to be the first person appointed dean for diversity and inclusion at Princeton University, the nation’s #1 ranked University and one of the world’s most prestigious institutions. At Princeton, I am responsible for providing a strategic vision and integrated programs for diversity, equity, and inclusion to enhance campus life’s mission and goals and contribute to achieving the University’s diversity goals. I have created and built organizational structures to enhance the student experience; developed access, diversity, equity, and inclusion educational frameworks; and consulted with senior leaders on diversity strategy planning.

At times, I am awestruck and marvel at how and where my life’s journey has taken me: the twists and turns. People have counted me out. People count people like me out – from communities like mine out – from high schools like mine out – from social classes and backgrounds and familial structures like mine out – from racial and gender identities like mine out. I have never counted me out. Have I discounted myself, however? I’m afraid that I have, and it has sometimes impacted my experiences. I have certainly experienced stereotype threat, imposter syndrome (or rather its sentiment – the term doesn’t resonate with me personally), fear, and self-doubt over the years. But, I am God-led, intuitive, and have enough self-belief that it creates an equilibrium of sorts to tap myself in.

After nearly seven years in what I could call the dream job I did not know was a dream, I am transitioning from my role at Princeton University to lead my diversity consulting and leadership coaching practice, The Red Brick Road Consulting and Coaching Collective, full time.

We all face challenges, but looking back, would you describe it as a relatively smooth road?

Although rewarding, diversity, equity, inclusion, and justice work can be mentally, emotionally, psychologically, and spiritually exhausting. It is critical, in this work, to create space for one’s self to breathe, decompress, heal, and regroup. I have been in the DEI space for over twenty years and witnessed people burn out, giving their all. I understand it. There were times when I’ve been challenged with navigating my professional obligation to engage and create space for others while needing to step back to take care of myself, especially when issues of injustice and inhumanity hit “closer to home.” There is dancing of sorts that happens here, which can be taxing. However, this space is one of the few spaces where I am purposed and feel called to serve.

A recent challenge has been transitioning to an entrepreneur/business owner from an industry and roles that have been core to my professional identity. Although the foundation and foci of the work are similar, I am now opening myself broadly across multiple industries. The increased professional accountability, hustle, outreach, connections, and putting myself “out there” call me to the task! I hear it is part of the entrepreneurial process, and I am here for it! I now have to make a name for my business and myself in a different context.

As you know, we’re big fans of The Red Brick Road Consulting and Coaching Collective. What can you tell our readers who might not be as familiar with the brand?

The Red Brick Road Consulting and Coaching Collective specializes in diversity strategy management and team and individual leadership development. Our community of consultants, practitioners, facilitators, and subject matter experts helps us deliver customized solutions to clients and organizations. We offer consulting and coaching services across various industries, including corporate, nonprofit, government, and higher education. The Red Brick Road provides sustainable solutions advising, and we guide clients to maximize their potential and purpose through executive, leadership, and team coaching. We develop DEI strategies to improve the “people experience” and address organizations’ goals by engaging in systemic, structural, cultural, and climate assessment and change processes. Our service offerings include:

Culture & climate assessments

Strategic plan development

External DEI reviews

Leadership team retreats

Team community-building experiences

Group Coaching

1:1 leadership coaching

As a certified executive and leadership coach, I coach executives and leaders to become more aware of themselves and others; to be inclusive in their leadership styles and practices; and to transform their organizations to support the “people experience” within workplace and learning environments. This, in turn, benefits business and organizational goals, promotes innovation, and impacts retention.  I also provide success coaching for people of color who are first-career professionals or emerging leaders with five years or less of workforce experience. I consult with organizations, teams, and individuals on inclusive leadership practices and long-range DEI strategy planning.

What sets me apart is that I utilize a multidimensional approach to coaching beyond the role, title, and functions. As the grounding foundation of my work, I integrate inclusive leadership principles, emotional intelligence concepts, and personal and social identity theories into my coaching practices with individuals and groups. I am also trained in restorative practices, intergroup dialogue, and group facilitation. I serve as a trusted advisor and confidential resource for leaders, including exploring complex management and ADEI issues and bouncing potential scenarios before rolling out decisions and communications. I remain accessible and flexible throughout the coaching relationship.

I named my company, The Red Brick Road, an ode to my upbringing and journey. It is more than a name, a consultancy, or a coaching practice. The Red Brick Road is a grounding place and literal pathway behind the LaSalle Park Apartments. I have spent my formative years in St. Louis, MO in this housing development community, my foundation. It is where I learned about identity, resilience, hustle, creative maneuvering (strategy), and what it means to be in a community with others. It represents my history, my course, and my journey. The Red Brick Road symbolizes charting one’s course and forging ahead to explore opportunities and possibilities unseen for greater achievement. I am most proud to have my brand identity closely connected to my journey and to use many of the learnings as a foundation for my business.

What’s next?
My plans include expanding and growing The Red Brick Road. I aim to scale up our signature coaching programs and workshop offerings to executives, managers, and emerging leaders within the next 1-2 years. In the process, I hope to make new friends, journey partners, and clients.

I look forward to engaging DEI content that focuses primarily on leaders’ understanding of identities, self-awareness, structural/social barriers, and the realities of others’ lived experiences, etc., to lead and nurture healthy, productive, and affirming environments. The end goal of The Red Brick Road’s efforts is to better “the people experience” at work and in learning spaces. Aside from the business, I look forward to creating more space to write creatively; traveling; connecting with friends; and spending uninterrupted time with my husband, son, and expanded family.

Contact Info:

• Website: www.redbrickroad.org
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/redbrickroadjourney/?fbclid=IwAR3nXW5NxAbGVsDn7GwqbKuns8MJnydow6Ie4H_l74SyRcWhyCxoGrtXOU4
• Linkedin: www.linkedin.com/in/latanyabuckjones

Image Credits
Sameer A. Khan, Deanna Granger, Allen Thompson