A Ferguson resident of over 40 years, it's safe to say Jones knows the city she's about to preside over rather well.

Prior to her involvement in the city's government, Jones worked within the pharmaceutical industry after graduating from the University of Missouri at St. Louis with a bachelor's degree in chemistry, according to FergusonCity.com.

Jones also became the city's first Black councilwoman after being elected to the council in 2015, according to St. Louis Magazine. As councilwoman, she sat on the city's human rights, traffic, landmarks, senior citizens, parks and West Florissant Business Association commissions and boards.

Although the council only had one Black member in 2014, four out of its six current members are Black, the Post-Dispatch reported.

The protests following Brown's death also paved the way for the Black Lives Matter movement and forced the federal government to get involved. After the U.S. Justice Department's investigation into Brown's death, Ferguson entered a federal consent decree in 2016, leading to municipal court reform, NPR reported.

Ella Jones

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