Full Name
Calida Jones
Job Title
Co-founder | Ceo
Company
Creative Evolutions | Cnjassociates
Speaker Bio
Calida N. Jones is an entrepreneur, ecosystem designer, and creative strategist whose work focuses on how creativity, culture, and community leadership drive innovation and economic growth. With more than 25 years of experience across the arts, education, and social impact sectors, she specializes in helping founders, institutions, and civic leaders translate vision into sustainable systems, ventures, and collaborative infrastructure.
She is the Founder of CNJ Associates and Co-Founder of Creative Evolutions, a human-centered adaptive ecosystem that develops actionable strategies for creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations navigating complexity and growth. Her work often sits at the intersection of venture development, governance design, and cross-sector collaboration—supporting leaders who are building new models for cultural, civic, and economic innovation.
She is also the co-designer of MOMENTUM, an international convening and ecosystem-building platform that brings together creative leaders, entrepreneurs, funders, and institutional partners to strengthen regional creative economies. Through MOMENTUM, Calida works to activate new partnerships, accelerate venture ideas, and demonstrate how local knowledge and regional leadership can inform scalable national and global innovation strategies.
Jones currently serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Yale University, where she contributes to conversations about entrepreneurship, ecosystem development, and the role of creative leadership in shaping resilient and inclusive economies.
A sought-after international speaker and advisor, Calida has presented at institutions including Yale University, Yale School of Music, Duke University, The Hartt School, and the Connecticut State Capitol. She has also spoken to audiences of more than 500,000 people internationally and delivered a TEDx talk in San Jose, California. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including a fellowship at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Elizabeth L. Mahaffey Fellowship, a Grammy Music Educator Award nomination, the Connecticut Arts Hero Award for the Waterbury region, and the Father Thomas H. Dwyer Humanitarian Award.
Calida holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Violin Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from The Hartt School.
She is the Founder of CNJ Associates and Co-Founder of Creative Evolutions, a human-centered adaptive ecosystem that develops actionable strategies for creative individuals, entrepreneurs, and organizations navigating complexity and growth. Her work often sits at the intersection of venture development, governance design, and cross-sector collaboration—supporting leaders who are building new models for cultural, civic, and economic innovation.
She is also the co-designer of MOMENTUM, an international convening and ecosystem-building platform that brings together creative leaders, entrepreneurs, funders, and institutional partners to strengthen regional creative economies. Through MOMENTUM, Calida works to activate new partnerships, accelerate venture ideas, and demonstrate how local knowledge and regional leadership can inform scalable national and global innovation strategies.
Jones currently serves as an Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Yale University, where she contributes to conversations about entrepreneurship, ecosystem development, and the role of creative leadership in shaping resilient and inclusive economies.
A sought-after international speaker and advisor, Calida has presented at institutions including Yale University, Yale School of Music, Duke University, The Hartt School, and the Connecticut State Capitol. She has also spoken to audiences of more than 500,000 people internationally and delivered a TEDx talk in San Jose, California. Her work has been recognized with numerous honors, including a fellowship at the Aspen Ideas Festival, the Elizabeth L. Mahaffey Fellowship, a Grammy Music Educator Award nomination, the Connecticut Arts Hero Award for the Waterbury region, and the Father Thomas H. Dwyer Humanitarian Award.
Calida holds a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Violin Performance from Indiana University of Pennsylvania and a Master of Music in Violin Performance and Suzuki Pedagogy from The Hartt School.
Speaking At
