Melanie Rogers Jones 12/15/1965 to 3/13/2010
PHI mourns the loss of Melanie Jones, a certified nursing assistant (CNA) who was a tireless advocate for direct-care workers in North Carolina and beyond.
Melanie was active since 2005 in the Direct Care Workers Association of North Carolina (DCWA-NC), a statewide, education-based organization for direct-care workers and others who share its mission and values. She was elected to the association’s board in 2006, serving as its vice president until her untimely death.
“Melanie Jones was very dedicated and anxious to do whatever she could to improve and make better the working conditions of all direct-care workers,” said DCWA-NC Secretary Jacqulyn Peterson, personal care services coordinator for the Department of Social Services, Craven County.
“She was a very active member of the association. Melanie was always willing to be out front advocating and encouraging others to be supportive,” Peterson said.
PHI Advisory Committee
In 2006 Melanie was appointed to be a direct-care representative — one of two positions — on the PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership National Advisory Committee. The 12-person committee helped guide a four-year project that examined the critical role of supervisors in job satisfaction and the quality of care provided by CNAs and home health aides.
“Based on her direct experience as a CNA and role with the Direct Care Workers Association of North Carolina, Melanie provided a valuable perspective on the impact of both poor and positive supervision on the quality of jobs for direct-care workers and continuity of care for consumers,” said PHI Organizational and Executive Coach Sara Joffe, who also directs the PHI Center for Coaching Supervision and Leadership. “She will be sadly missed.”
Work and Family
Melanie worked as a CNA for the Department of Social Services, Craven County from 2000 to 2007. She resigned to care for her ailing father.
She lived in Dover, NC and is survived by her husband; two daughters; a son; five grandchildren; and her sister and brother-in-law.
“To know Melanie was to love her; she will be missed by all who knew and loved her,” Peterson said.
– by Deane Beebe
