Valerie K. Jones is curious about what’s next. That curiosity fueled an award-winning career at media agencies from Chicago to San Francisco, the creation of her own digital marketing consultancy, and a move to academia. 

Jones is now the Fred A. & Gladys Seaton Professor of advertising and public relations at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln College of Journalism and Mass Communications, founder/co-director of the SMART-Lab (Social and Traditional Media Analytics and Research Tools), and a Fulbright Scholar.  She’s driven by the question of how new communication technologies can address societal challenges and improve quality of life, collaborating with scholars from psychology to gerontology, public health to computer science to uncover answers. Her work has been supported by numerous grants and appeared in publications such as Frontiers in Digital Health, Health Communication, Innovation in Aging, and the Journal of Brand Strategy.  She published some of the earliest work in her field about the influence of voice-powered artificial intelligence assistants, and her latest research explores how AI assistants impact loneliness and create social connection in aging adults. She received a Fulbright Scholar award in 2023 to study AI assistant use by early adopting older adults in Australia and continues working on social connection projects with scholars there.   

Jones brings over 20 years of professional experience in understanding audiences and communication technologies to her work, developing courses like Digital Insight & Analytics in 2010 that she continues to adapt and teach today. She began her career as a media strategist in San Francisco and Chicago, working with clients such as Kellogg, Nintendo, and Axe at Starcom Worldwide and IGN/Fox Interactive. Jones returned to her home state of Nebraska to develop the digital media practice at Bailey Lauerman and launch the Insights and Analytics arm of Swanson Russell, creating multimillion-dollar communication and content strategies for Union Pacific, Allstate, Disney, and BlueCross BlueShield. Jones then launched her own business, Red Rover Media, and continues to consult on consumer research projects. 

Jones earned her bachelor’s degree from Northwestern University in communication studies and sociology, her master’s degree from Northwestern in integrated marketing communications, and her PhD from the University of Nebraska in educational studies. 

Outside of work, Jones can be found planting something, grilling something, reading something, lifting something, or trying to remember where her two kids are supposed to be when.