Personifying DEI through determination and an open heart

If you want something done, give it to a busy person. That adage easily applies to Lyvette Medina Jones (she/her), BA ’06, PBACC ’21, and her ability to juggle work and family with volunteering in her community. The wife and mother of four is a longtime and valued Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) employee, and she is the newest member of Roosevelt University’s Women’s Leadership Council.

Her drive and energy come naturally to her, and she gets a lot of satisfaction from sharing that spark with others. “I love being part of organizations that support and service people,” says Jones. She gives back to her community in many ways, including her work on the Women’s Leadership Council (WLC) and as a District 83 School Board member.

“We’re grateful for the expertise and passion Lyvette brings to the WLC,” says council member and University Vice President Nicole Barron. The council collaborates with other groups at Roosevelt and the larger community to identify the critical issues facing women by hosting programming, providing mentorship opportunities and giving back to initiatives that facilitate real solutions to close the gender gap.

Jones believes the WLC is an ideal space to network with other women leaders, specifically those in positions that she herself hopes to hold someday. Jones also looks forward to mentoring female-identifying students. She wants to tell them about her journey, the obstacles she faced and how she turned negative situations into positive ones. Her words of advice to future leaders? “Be your authentic self and know your worth.”

Her service to the council also displays CTA’s dedication to community engagement. “Lynette’s commitment to her work and to helping others represents the impressive work of our alumni,” adds Baron. “She also continues to benefit from Chicago Transit Authority’s commitment to employee support, and she lives out its values of diversity and inclusion in her work with the organization, Roosevelt University and in her community.”

leading with purpose

In 2003, Jones joined [the] Chicago Transit Authority as an executive assistant — following her time as a legal secretary for a private firm in Chicago. Today she serves as a project specialist for CTA’s diversity programs. The diversity office is a customer-focused department that provides guidance and support to small businesses that are interested in working with the CTA, many interested in securing construction contracts. 

“Lyvette is passionate about helping people, which is really what our department is all about,” says her supervisor Juan Pablo Prieto (he/him), director of diversity programs for CTA. Many of the small businesses must receive Disadvantaged Business Enterprise certification through the U.S. Department of Transportation in order to acquire CTA contracts. Prieto’s department monitors contracts to ensure goals are being met, and Jones manages all administrative processes and procedures for the department of 21. 

“A lot of what we do relies on data,” says Prieto. “So, Lyvette’s legal mind and attention to detail keeps our department’s goals in focus, rooted in data and attainable for our customers. She also manages the departmental budget and helps ensure we are spending taxpayers’ dollars effectively.” 

Prieto describes Jones as a servant leader, or someone who leads by example and goes above and beyond what’s asked of them in their job duties. “She’s passionate about helping our customers,” he says. 

“For instance, Lyvette has volunteered to attend outreach events. When registering people at an event, she does that but then goes further by asking attendees about their goals — she finds out what people need to succeed and connects them to the right people at CTA. Because she has worked at CTA for so long, she’s well versed in what each department does and who can best assist clients. She’s a real asset,” he says.

Prieto adds, “Lyvette is essential to our department’s mission. At the core of it, she’s a great person. I love having her on my team. She’s just so positive and always looking to help people. We need more people like her in government to make sure we get our partners the resources they need to succeed.”

“I think Lyvette is a great example of how Roosevelt’s diverse alumni community are prepared to excel in their careers,” shares Jared Fritz-McCarty, assistant vice president of advancement. “Lyvette’s leadership at CTA has blossomed because of the organization’s own commitment to DEI.”

inspired by others

Jones credits her late parents and grandparents for her sunny attitude and willingness to help others. 

Her mother worked as a librarian at Chicago Public Library’s Rockwell Gardens branch, and her grandmother worked for the city’s Department of Human Services, helping displaced families find shelter. Jones’s father retired from Brach’s Candy Company after 40 years and was always going above and beyond to help his coworkers and supervisor. Jones says, “These were my impressions of service when I was a child, and those values have helped me in the workplace. They were key to my success, and they loved what they did.”

Much of her work ethic comes from her late mother, Wanda, who died of cancer when Jones was 15. Her late father, Martin, also believed in working hard to get ahead. After her mother died, Jones’s grandparents and father took care of her and her younger sister, Jennifer.

“My grandmother always told me to pray,” said Jones. “That helped me in my grieving process when my mother died. Even now, when I’m going through hard things in life, I hear my grandma’s voice saying, ‘God will send someone across your path to guide you to where you need to be.’”

Jones married her husband, Anthony Sr., in 1998. Together they have four children: Deja, Anthony Jr., Aaron and Lauren. Anthony Jr. was born in 1999, the same year Lyvette completed her associate degree in paralegal studies. In 2006, she earned a Bachelor of Business Administration from Robert Morris University Illinois, now Roosevelt University. Then, in 2021, she received a post-baccalaureate certification in paralegal studies from Roosevelt.

“I am a strong proponent of education and believe in trying to give every child the best education possible. I have tried to instill that thought in my own children,” she shares — referencing Nelson Mandela’s quote: “Education is the most powerful weapon you can use to change the world.”

A first-generation college graduate, Jones remembers her family always encouraging her to go as far as she could in her education. “The sky’s the limit, my parents would say to me.” Though neither parent was fortunate enough to go to college, she recalls one of her mother’s friends who was a paralegal as being influential in her career choice. “I’d ask her questions about her job, and that’s what got me interested in law,” she said. “She was very helpful and encouraging,” Jones says. 

“I thought I was prepared for college until I started classes,” she said. “I received the syllabus and saw all the reading requirements and the deadlines for assignments. I was afraid and thought, ‘How can I get all this completed on time?’ But as the semester went on, I learned how to manage my time to complete my readings and meet the assignment deadline. Instead of dreading the process with negative thinking, I changed to a growth mindset.”

Jones credits professors Jim Fine, Lewis Nixon and Brad Jansen for defining her positive post-baccalaureate experience at Roosevelt. “They provided me with real world experience and the tools I needed to be successful. They always made themselves available before and after classes,” Jones says.

When Jones returned to Roosevelt for the paralegal program, she also joined the WLC book club in order to network with other women leaders. There, she recalls reading Michelle Obama’s Becoming, a biography about Eleanor Roosevelt titled You Learn by Living: Eleven Keys for a More Fulfilling Life, and Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor’s memoir My Beloved World.

“The books were all very interesting, and certain things resonated with me,” she said. For instance, she recalls a quote from Roosevelt’s biography that said, “Courage is more exhilarating than fear, and in the long run it is easier. We do not have to become heroes overnight. Just a step at a time, meeting each thing that comes up, seeing it is not as dreadful as it appeared, discovering we have the strength to stare it down.” That struck a chord. 

In My Beloved World, Justice Sotomayor writes, “For me the most agreeable and effective instruction has come from observing the nuances and complexity of live action, the complete package of knowledge, experience and judgment that is another human being. Whenever I make a new friend, my mind goes naturally to the question, what can I learn from this person.”

Jones reflects, “Pursuing my education has opened doors of opportunities for me and enabled me to meet people with different experiences, backgrounds and perspectives. I’m inspired by their stories and career paths, and meeting new people has taught me that we all have some common ground.”

As Jones progresses through her career, which has brought her back to the CTA twice now and has woven in her legal abilities and interest in the law, she thinks back to when her education began so many years ago.

“I have been fortunate that family, friends and others in my life encouraged and inspiredme on my educational journey, because I wouldn’t be where I am today if it wasn’t for those who paved the way for me to get the education I have so far,” she said. “I started school in 1995 and finished 26 years later, so when I walked across the stage at commencement in 2021, I felt accomplished. It took me a while to get where I’m now, and I don’t think I’m done yet.” 

Jones also tries to sow the seeds of generosity by helping her community. One of her favorite sayings comes from Maya Angelou.

Jones says, “I take those words to heart. When people first see me, I try to have a smile on my face for them. If they’re having a bad day, I want them to feel better after interacting with me. I always think that it’s important to listen to others, make them feel understood and heard. It really changes a person’s mood when they know someone cares.”

“It’s so important to show kindness and love. You don’t know what people are going through, so I am just happy to help in whatever way I can to make society a little better. I want my children to do the same, so I try to lead by example.”

“I have a two-year-old granddaughter, Lillian, and I just want this world to be a better place for her and others. I’ve been through a lot, but I’m here for other people. I don’t care who you are, I’ll do what I can to help you.”

Eventually, Jones hopes to earn a law degree and become an attorney, possibly a child advocate or to work in the field of labor and employment law. She paused for a few moments, thinking about the future, and said simply, “I’ll find a way to fit it in.”