After more than three decades of countless contributions to Emory, Gregory H. Jones, vice president for health affairs and chief business officer of the Woodruff Health Sciences Center (WHSC), has announced his retirement effective Sept. 1, 2025.
Jones joined Emory in 1992 as director of human resources. Just four years later, he was recruited by the Executive Vice President for Health Affairs (EVPHA) to be the assistant vice president for health affairs, marking the beginning of a new chapter in his distinguished career within WHSC. Among his many responsibilities as vice president for health affairs, Jones has helped build a leadership recruitment pipeline while overseeing financial resources with academic and health care leadership.
“Greg’s contributions were often behind the scenes, but their impact has been wide and lasting,” says former EVPHA Michael M.E. Johns, MD. “His influence continues to ripple across the institution in the people he supported, the policies he shaped and the culture he helped build. He exemplifies what it means to serve with humility, vision and care.”
Throughout his remarkable career at Emory, Jones has worked with five EVPHAs, serving as a confidante and strategic partner in performance and talent management. He has also played an instrumental role in recruiting hundreds of leaders to Emory from across the globe, helping to shape the institution’s leadership landscape.
“It has been a tremendous privilege to work at Emory for almost 34 years advancing the tripartite missions of education, research and patient care with brilliant, dedicated leaders and colleagues,” says Jones. “Living in the Emory community for three decades, and with both children having graduated from Emory, we are indeed an Emory family in every sense.”
Jones has been not only an outstanding source of financial and leadership expertise, but also a thoughtful partner who has guided organizational planning and strategic decision-making as a member of the executive leadership committees across WHSC. In 2000, he led the unification of the original Emory University System of Health Care into One Emory Healthcare with common benefits, compensation and human resources programs.
As a nationally respected thought leader on performance management and executive compensation, Jones is frequently invited to share his expertise at national conferences, a testament to the legacy he has built and the reputation he has accrued across the field of human resources.
“I want to thank Greg for his dedication and longstanding contributions to making Emory a better place and wish him all the best in his retirement. Whether it was conducting searches for key leaders or management of human resources and finances of WHSC, he is a problem solver and quintessential professional in all his work,” says David Stephens, MD, vice president of research for WHSC.
It is impossible to fully quantify the impact and contributions Jones has had on Emory. His legacy is woven into the fabric of the institution and will continue to shape its future even after his retirement. He has been a consummate ambassador for Emory in both his professional and personal life.
As Jones says, “If you do what you love, you will never work a day in your life.”
Emory will greatly miss Jones’ counsel and the commitment he exemplified through decades of leadership and dedication. Though he departs Emory with many fond memories, he is very much looking forward to spending retirement with his wife and family.
Photo by Jack Kearse, Woodruff Health Sciences Center.