Lt. Col. Crystal R. Jones' most recent assignment was as the Senior Accessions Analyst for the US Army Recruiting and Retention Task Force. Jones enlisted in the active duty Army as a paralegal specialist in 1998. Jones transferred to the Army Reserve where she served as Commander, Charlie Company, 2-518th Reception Battalion, while she attended East Carolina University, Greenville, North Carolina. Jones received her active duty commission as a Distinguished Military Graduate and Distinguished Military Student via the Army Reserve Officers Training Corps (ROTC) Program in 2006.
Her key assignments include Brigade Human Resources Officer (S1), 43rd Area Support Group (Rear) (Prov), Fort Carson, Colorado; Platoon Leader and Executive Officer, 549th Quartermaster Company, Fort Carson; Battalion Human Resources Officer (S1), 43rd Brigade Special Troops Battalion, Fort Carson; and next at 101st Special Troops Battalion, Fort Campbell; Plans and Operations Officer, 101st Sustainment Brigade, Fort Campbell; Chief, Readiness, United States Army Central Command, Shaw Air Force Base; and deployed as Deputy Chief, Strength Management (Forward), and Program Manager, Sexual Harassment and Assault Response Program (Forward), Camp Arifjan, Kuwait; Executive Officer, 15th Military Police Brigade, Fort Leavenworth; Commander, Kansas City Military Entrance Processing Station, Kansas City, Missouri; Brigade Human Resources Officer (S1), 7th Transportation Brigade (Expeditionary), Fort Eustis; Chief, Personnel Management Office, General Officer Management Office, Washington DC; Strategic Distribution and Readiness Officer and later Executive Officer to the Director of Military Personnel Management, Headquarters, Department of the Army G-1, Pentagon, Washington DC.
Her military awards and decorations include the Distinguished Meritorious Service Medal, four Meritorious Service Medals, five Army Commendation Medals, four Army Achievement Medals, and numerous unit and service medals and ribbons. She earned the Air Assault Badge. Lt. Col. Jones also has been awarded the Col. Robert L. Manning Achievement Medal, one Bronze Horatio Gates Bronze Medal, and two Horatio Gates Gold Medals, which recognizes significant accomplishments in the Adjutant General Corps, in addition to the Theodore Roosevelt Medal for superior achievement in physical fitness.
Lt. Col. Jones' education includes a Bachelors in Criminal Justice with a minor in Military Science and Masters in Business Administration; RETAIN Parental Leave Coaching Certification; Intermediate Level Education from the Army’s Command and General Staff College; AG Officer Advanced Course and AG Officer Basic Course; Basic Officer Leader Course; SHARP Certification Course; Operational Contract Support Course; HR Planners' Course; Support Operations Course; Unit Movement Officer Course; and US Army Assault School. She is currently pursuing her PhD in Industrial and Organizational Psychology.