Dr. Roger Jones, professor emeritus and director of the University of Lynchburg’s Center for Innovative Leadership, was honored by the Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, or VASSP, with its Frank E. Flora Lamp of Knowledge Award.

The award recognizes individuals in the field of education who bring honor to the profession, respect for the school principalship, exceptional contributions working with school leaders, and outstanding support to Virginia public school education.

It’s named in honor of the late Frank E. Flora, a longtime professor at the University of Virginia and VASSP’s first executive director/CEO.

The award was presented at the 96th Annual Virginia Middle and High School Principals Conference and Exposition, held in Virginia Beach, Virginia, in June.

Jones was nominated and selected for the award by a unanimous vote of VASSP’s board of directors. The award is presented only in years when VASSP determines an educator is worthy of recognition for outstanding contributions in the field of public school education in Virginia.

“The association traditionally reviews numerous leadership qualities when nominating educators for this prestigious award, and Jones’ leadership experience and background in education clearly qualified him,” VASSP CEO Randy Barrack said.

Jones, a past president of VASSP, served as a middle school and high school principal and as division assistant superintendent for instruction. After retiring from pre-K-12 education in 2003, he joined the University of Lynchburg as a full-time faculty member. He had previously served as an adjunct professor.

At Lynchburg, Jones rose to the rank of professor and served as dean of Lynchburg’s College of Education, Leadership Studies, and Counseling. He also is a member of Lynchburg’s Red Chair Group, an in-house coaching, consulting, and team development service.

Jones has been VASSP’s legal editor for more than 30 years and is author of the annual publication “General Assembly Update: Changes in School Law.” He co-authored The Legal Handbook for Virginia School Administrators.

He currently serves as the secondary director of the Virginia Principal Mentoring Pilot, a collaborative program of the Virginia Department of Education, Virginia Foundation for Educational Leadership, Virginia Association of Secondary School Principals, and Virginia Association of Elementary School Principals.

Founded in 1906, VASSP is the statewide advocacy and outreach professional organization for middle and high school principals and assistant principals. The organization’s purpose is to assist school principals and assistant principals in providing leadership to their schools and communities for the purpose of improving the education of Virginia’s youth.