JONES, Laurie Beth 1952-

PERSONAL: Born October 15, 1952, in El Paso, TX. Ethnicity: "Caucasian." Religion: Methodist.

ADDRESSES: Office—609 East Blacker Avenue, El Paso, TX 79902. Agent—Julie Castiglia, Castiglia Agency, 1155 Camino del Mar, No. 510, Del Mar, CA 92014. E-mail—ljones@elp.rr.com.

CAREER: U.S. Congress, Washington, DC, intern, 1970-71; Georgia State University, administrative assistant, 1974-75; YMCA, El Paso, TX, public relations director, 1975-76, women's information director, 1976-81; Jones Group (marketing, business, and leadership development firm), founder and president. Motivational speaker at businesses, educational institutions, and places of worship.

MEMBER: American Women in Radio and TV (president, El Paso chapter, 1981), Women in Communications, National Association of Female Executives.

AWARDS, HONORS: Outstanding Young Woman of America, 1981; Advertising Federation for Broadcast, Print, Copywriting, 1981-82; Notable Women of Texas, 1983.

WRITINGS:

Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership, Hyperion (New York, NY), 1996.

The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life, Hyperion (New York, NY), 1996.

Jesus in Blue Jeans: A Practical Guide to Everyday Spirituality, Hyperion (New York, NY), 1997.

Grow Something besides Old: Seeds for a Joyful Life, Simon & Schuster (New York, NY), 1998.

The Power of Positive Prophecy: Finding the Hidden Potential in Everyday Life, Hyperion (New York, NY), 1999.

Jesus, Inc.: Doing Well by Doing Right: An Entrepreneur's Guide, Crown Business (New York, NY), 2001.

Jesus, Entrepreneur: Using Ancient Wisdom to Launch and Live Your Dreams, Crown Business (New York, NY), 2001.

Teach Your Team to Fish: Using Ancient Wisdom for Inspired Teamwork, Crown Business (New York, NY), 2002.

Also author of The Tool Box (poems) and Horizons.

SIDELIGHTS: Laurie Beth Jones is president and founder of the Jones Group, an advertising, marketing, and business development firm whose mission is "to recognize, promote, and inspire divine excellence." She has written several best-selling books, including Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership, The Path: Creating Your Mission Statement for Work and for Life, and Jesus in Blue Jeans: A Practical Guide to Everyday Spirituality. Jones once told CA that her primary motivation for writing is "to express what I know and feel." The primary influence and inspiration in her life has been the Christian Gospel.

In Jesus, CEO Jones delivers lessons from the New Testament that can empower business leaders to succeed. She analyzes Bible stories and discovers in them an approach to motivating and managing others. Owning and operating a business firm herself, Jones understands the problems in running a company. Tom DePoto of the Newark, New Jersey, Star-Ledger noted that "Her entertaining observations can motivate the mogul and the minions to find the better bottom line spiritually as well as fiscally."

Jones again finds inspiration in the Bible to illustrate how its teachings are relevant to the business world in Jesus in Blue Jeans. Drawing from personal reflections and offering samples from the New Testament, the author adapts the words of Jesus in ways that can be used in our day-to-day lives. Each chapter presents a daily flow of meditative action to help readers achieve their highest goals and aspirations. According to DePoto, "her style is engaging and breezy with enough personal details and humor that make it easy to be swept along."

Jones's The Power of Positive Prophecy: Finding the Hidden Potential in Everyday Life refers to the power in words, particularly when used positively to encourage others. To pursue our goals and fulfill out potentials, Jones urges readers to bring all their passion and creativity to the workplace. Combining management know-how and practical guidance, her book demonstrates how the language of prophecy can create more productive lives. According to a critic for Publishers Weekly, "with the help of sample prayers and reflective questions, she encourages readers to recognize and benefit from prophecy in all its forms."

Jones hopes to help the new breed of entrepreneur find satisfaction with the soul in Jesus, Inc.: Doing Well by Doing Right: An Entrepreneur's Guide. As she did in her other best-selling inspirational books, the author argues that it is possible to earn a great deal of money without compromising one's Christian beliefs.

Teach Your Team to Fish: Using Ancient Wisdom for Inspired Teamwork features several stories from the Bible in which Jones utilizes the teachings of Jesus as models for resolving management issues and building team work in the business world. Managers are responsible for setting the standards that help employees accomplish their goals. To foster improved performance, Jones advocates the use of prayer and welcomes diversity as a means of bringing people together. According to a Publishers Weekly contributor, "her fans will devour this book." Each chapter includes prayers and questions for self-evaluation.

BIOGRAPHICAL AND CRITICAL SOURCES:

PERIODICALS

Booklist, January 1, 1995, review of Jesus, CEO: Using Ancient Wisdom for Visionary Leadership; March 1, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc.: Doing Well by Doing Right: An Entrepreneur's Guide, p. 1214.

Fortune, July 9, 2001, review of Jesus, CEO, p. 136H.

Gazette (Colorado Springs, CO), April 9, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc., p. B3.

Guardian (London, England), May 1, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc., p. 11.

Inc., April 1, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc., p. 103.

Knight-Ridder/Tribune News Services, July 5, 2001, Cecil Johnson, review of Jesus, Inc., p. K5789; June 20, 2002, Dan Lee, review of Teach Your Team to Fish: Using Ancient Wisdom for Inspired Teamwork, p. K0152.

Publishers Weekly, August 25, 1997, review of Jesus in Blue Jeans: A Practical Guide to Everyday Spirituality, p. 65; August 16, 1999, review of The Power of Positive Prophecy: Finding the Hidden Potential in Everyday Life, p. 69; April 23, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc., p. 61; March 25, 2002, review of Teach Your Team to Fish, p. 54.

Star-Ledger (Newark, NJ), August 31, 1997, Tom De-Poto, review of Jesus, CEO, p. 8; August 31, 1997, Tom DePoto, review of Jesus in Blue Jeans, p.8.

Wall Street Journal, July 30, 2001, review of Jesus, Inc., p. A17.

ONLINE

Postfun.com,http://www.postfun.com/ (June 4, 2002), Ron Hogan, review of Jesus, CEO.