By: Shelley McKinley The newest Port Commissioner of the Port of Houston Authority is Thomas Jones, Jr. He joins six other Commissioners and has the responsibility of setting policies and guiding executive staff to ensure that Port Houston continues to be a strategic leader for the Houston Ship Channel. Following a unanimous appointment from City Council, Jones was recently sworn in by Mayor John Whitmire at a Swearing-inCeremony held at Davis Street at Hermann Park. The event included remarks by State Senator Carol Alvarado, Mayor Pro-Tem Martha Castex-Tatum, and Mayor John Whitmire. “When looking at the credentials for someone to serve on the Port of Houston’s Port Commission, I couldn’t think of anyone better that has the intellect and the passion for public service,” shared Mayor Whitmire. Mr. Jones started his professional career with Ernst & Ernst (now EY) and in 1996 connected with Wayne McConnell to establish the firm of McConnell & Jones (MJ) LLP. In 1999, Odysseus Lanier and Sharon Murphy merged with the pair, creating the largest African American owned accounting and consulting firm in Texas and now the largest in the country. e rm o ers a full range of audit, accounting, tax planning and compliance, and management consulting services with offices in Houston, Austin, Dallas, Washington DC, and Durham, N.C., MJ serves a broad and diverse mix of corporate, governmental, non-pro t and individual clientele. Jones continues to serve the firm as a consultant focused on client relations and business development. Mr. Jones retired in 2022 as a founding partner of MJ, currently the largest African American owned public accounting firm in the US. MJ is also recognized by Accounting Today as one of the largest CPA practices in the Southwestern United States. Retirement, however, has not slowed him down. Jones is the Interim President of Jazz Houston which is a tribute to his father and preserves the cultural history of jazz through education and performances by the Youth Orchestra and other leading jazz performers. He is also the co-founder of the Houston Fund for Social Justice & Economic Equity (HEF) with Mayor […]
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