NEW YORK — AJ Jones II has built his career on taking risks, starting with leaving his hometown of Houston for Iowa State University as a “first-generation and low-income student” — a decision that charted the course of his professional life.

With the support of mentors, friends, and colleagues garnered during that time, Jones went on to work on Capitol Hill and the agency side of the business before moving in-house. His résumé includes holding global C-suite roles at Starbucks, Vanda Pharmaceuticals, and the W.K. Kellogg Foundation before joining Monumental Sports & Entertainment — which owns the NHL's Washington Capitals, NBA's Washington Wizards, WNBA's Washington Mystics, and the Capital One Arena — as chief strategic and corporate communications officer in April.

On May 6, Jones will receive a SABRE Award for Outstanding Individual Achievement at our 2025 North American SABRE Awards ceremony, which takes place at Cipriani 42nd Street in New York.

The honor is unquestionably a nod to Jones’ many successes as a leader in communications, corporate affairs, and policy. His new role at Monumental comes with a hefty remit: Jones is responsible for developing, executing, and amplifying MSE’s brand and corporate narrative; leading ownership, financial, investor, and community-based communications; overseeing the company’s broader investor relations and stakeholder engagement strategies; and serving as a member of MSE’s leadership team.

In less than four years at Starbucks, Jones — one of PRovoke Media’s Influence 100 — rapidly moved up the ranks, including being named chief corporate affairs officer in January 2024. His sweeping remit included the company's global government affairs and public policy, as well as community impact, social impact, the Starbucks Foundation, and Starbucks Alumni functions worldwide. He previously served as chief communications and public affairs officer.

But the SABRE is also very much a testament to the guiding principles of Jones’ leadership style — focus, humility, risk-taking, and honoring and appreciating others among them. During his tenure, Jones positioned Starbucks as a leader on DEI issues, rallying his counterparts in other high-profile companies to diversify their communications departments — and requiring the same of agency partners.

"Clear in his vision, calm under pressure, focused on the most important outcomes despite ‘the noise’ – that’s AJ," said Procter & Gamble CCO Damon Jones (no relation). "Operating at the top of the house requires mastery and judgement, but also the tact to know what to say and when to say it for maximum impact, and that’s one of the things I appreciate about AJ the most. 

"And despite crazy schedules, he makes time to share his experiences with peers and with future generations our industry is better because of him," Jones said.

All from a guy whose idea of a guilty pleasure is listening to live music with a friend over “a tall cold glass of cranberry juice with a lime and no ice.”

“AJ is the epitome of walking the walk and taking the talk,” said Kim Hunter, CEO of Lagrant Communications and chairman and CEO of the Lagrant Foundation, where Jones serves as a board member.

“AJ has been an exceptional board member to TLF from day one. He chaired the 26th Anniversary of TLF in NYC, and the programming was considered one of the best by both scholarship students and donor partners. AJ has taken a very active role in delivering impact to TLF's mission. We are very fortunate to have AJ as a committed and dedicated leader on the board,” Hunter said.

MSE founder and CEO Ted Leonsis praised his range of expertise across business, nonprofits, government organizations, and agencies — and what he brings to the company.

"AJ's expansive senior executive experience across business sectors, industries, philanthropy, investor, and international relations is already adding value in his short time with us here at Monumental Sports & Entertainment. His deep knowledge of customer service and entertainment is also helping us enhance and showcase the unforgettable moments we strive to create for fans of our teams," he said.