Q & A with Star Jones

Deborah Bayliss | As of Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Television personality, Star Jones
Television personality, Star Jones
Photo By: Getty Images

Star Jones, television personality, attorney, best-selling author and commentator, navigates the world rooted in her southern upbringing.

And now, after a successful 25-year television run, Jones says she’s found another “calling” in an unexpected industry. The former star of “The View” television talk show is currently a women’s and diversity advocate.

Jones, an established businesswoman, is president of both the National Association of Professional Women (NAPW),the largest networking organization for professional women in the country and the Professional Diversity Network (PDN), described as the national leader in business diversity recruiting networking and professional development for women, minorities, veterans, LGBT and disabled persons. The two companies merged recently, making Jones the youngest amongst a small group of African-American women leading publicly traded companies in the U.S.

The Chicago Citizen Newspaper spoke with Jones last week about her new endeavors, how she spends her “me” time and about the June 26th NAPW National Networking Summit.

Chicago Citizen Newspaper: Why did you want to be part of NAPW and PDN… and not just part of it but president of these now merged organizations?

Star Jones: “The opportunity came about three years ago or so to become the spokes-person for NAPW. I saw the amazing growth potential and had to be involved and ended up taking over. If you saw me on Celebrity Apprentice, you know that when I take part in something, I tend to take over, (she said laughingly). I love connecting with like-minded women. I started developing programming and am now president. Within a month of becoming president, we acquired PDN and I’m now president of both companies. PDN has more than four million registered job seekers and employers who say they’re committed to diversity. We have the largest user base than any other company.”

Chicago Citizen Newspaper: Tell us about the June 26th NAPW National Networking Summit. What will attendees gain from the event?

Star Jones: “The Networking/Career Summit is open to the general public and will take place at Navy Pier from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. This is the first of our 2015 series of events. We decided to marry the ultimate networking opportunity and will also have training sessions, and a panel session of which I will moderate titled, “The Whole Woman Power Panel” where accomplished women from different industries will also take part. Those who attend should dress for job interviews and bring an updated resume because there is a good chance of being hired on the spot by employers who will also attend.”

Chicago Citizen Newspaper: With such a busy schedule, how do you unwind and find your “me” time?

Star Jones: “I’m very good at taking “me” time. I love traveling and sitting on the beach and bonding with my friends. We gossip, read books and drink wine as women. I also exercise. It makes me feel good. I take time to do things that bring me joy. I love what I’m doing right now because it gives me so much joy. It’s an amazing experience to know you’ve literally, changed a life, in terms of these two organizations. Helping someone become employed is life changing. It helps a family and ultimately a community. I’m a Christian woman and feel that I’ve found my purpose in these organizations. It’s a very humbling responsibility. My company is traded on the NASDAQ. I own equity in them and that is awesome. I often think about the women that came before me…it’s very humbling.”

For more information about the career summit, go to www.chicagosummit.napw.com.

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