E-Newsletter Special: Thank You, Greg Jones

Published 12/10/2018 in E-Newsletter Articles

Written 12/10/2018

Milken Scholar Role Models are high-level professionals who have graciously agreed to engage in one-on-one career pathway discussions with our Milken Scholars.  These one-on-one mentoring discussions can happen via phone, video chat, or in-person.  Over the past six months, Greg Jones, Life Sciences & Healthcare Chief Technology Officer at Oracle, has generously donated his time to our program by speaking with six different Milken Scholars—one Scholar per month.  His guidance and support have been invaluable for both Current Scholars and Alumni Scholars. 

Michelle Park, a 2015 Milken Scholar and Senior at Stanford majoring in Computer Science, stated that “Greg helped me think through what I really wanted from my career, and he reminded me that life is more flexible than I might think after I graduate.  He pushed me to do what I love to do, and it meant a lot to me!  I really treasured the advice he was able to give me from his own journey to find work he loves to do.”

According to 1997 Alumni Scholar Dr. Serge Sverdlov, who holds a Ph.D. in Statistical Genetics from the University of Washington, "Greg Jones helped me learn about the ecosystem of customers and partners surrounding Oracle's many roles in the Health vertical, offering many insights into the growing niches a data scientist could aspire to serve."

While our Scholars loved the advice they received, the upcoming holiday season is a reminder that it is often better to give than to receive.  In the words of Greg Jones: “Mentoring is an extremely gratifying way to give back.  I think back to the mentors I had in the early parts of my career through the mentors I have now and I have an enormous amount of gratitude for how they’ve played a role in helping me with not only a successful career, but more importantly, helping me figure out the critical and delicate work-life balance aspects as well.  Therefore, giving back in this way with the Milken Scholars is, quite frankly, my pleasure.”

If you are a high-level professional and are interested in speaking with a Milken Scholar about your career pathway, simply contact Andrew Michaels, Associate Director, at amichaels@milkeninstitute.org.