The Academy Insider Podcast - Your Guide to The Naval Academy Experience

#066 From Naval Academy to City Hall: Mayor Phillip Jones's Journey of Leadership

• GRANT VERMEER • Season 2 • Episode 66

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How does a Naval Academy graduate go from the Marine Corps to leading a large city? Mayor Phillip Jones of Newport News shares his remarkable journey on this episode of Academy Insider. From his rigorous training at the Naval Academy to his service as a Marine Corps officer, Mayor Jones reveals the foundational experiences that crafted his leadership skills, including the pivotal mentors within his military service. Discover how these early influences continue to shape his approach to leading a vibrant city of nearly 200,000 people.

Mayor Jones recounts the challenges and triumphs of his military career, offering vivid anecdotes from his time with the 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, and his role as an instructor at The Basic School. He highlights how his deployments and the trust he earned from his Marines have profoundly impacted his leadership style today. His stories emphasize resilience, responsibility, and the unwavering ethos of the Marine Corps, providing valuable lessons for anyone aspiring to lead both in the military and civilian spheres.

Transitioning from military service to city politics wasn't easy, but Mayor Jones's commitment to community service and tenacity led him to a triumphant mayoral campaign. The support from the Naval Academy's network played a significant role, offering mentorship and practical advice. Tune in to hear Mayor Jones’s inspiring vision for Newport News and how the core values instilled in him continue to guide his journey. And don’t miss our spirited "Go Navy, Beat Army" cheer as we wrap up this insightful episode with heartfelt thanks to our listeners and special gratitude to Mayor Phillip Jones for his invaluable contributions.

The mission of Academy Insider is to guide, serve, and support Midshipmen, future Midshipmen, and their families.

Grant Vermeer your host is the person who started it all. He is the founder of Academy Insider and the host of The Academy Insider podcast and the USNA Property Network Podcast. He was a recruited athlete which brought him to Annapolis where he was a four year member of the varsity basketball team. He was a cyber operations major and commissioned into the Cryptologic Warfare Community. He was stationed at Fort Meade and supported the Subsurface Direct Support mission.

He separated from the Navy in 2023 and now owns The Vermeer Group, a boutique residential real estate company that specializes in serving the United States Naval Academy community PCSing to California & Texas.

We are here to be your guide through the USNA experience.

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Speaker 1:

Welcome to Season 2 of the Academy Insider Podcast. Academy Insider is a 501c3 nonprofit organization that serves midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families. At its core, this podcast is designed to bring together a community of Naval Academy graduates and those affiliated with the United States Naval Academy in order to tell stories and provide a little bit of insight into what life at the Naval Academy is really like. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you so much for listening and reach out if you ever have any questions. Hey everyone, and welcome back to the Academy Insider Podcast. In today's episode, I'm joined by Mayor Phillip Jones, the mayor of the city of Newport News out in Virginia. He's a Naval Academy graduate and in this episode, we talk all about his time in Annapolis as a Marine Corps officer and then beyond, and how it led him to now be leading a city of close to 200,000 people in Virginia. We talk all about how the Naval Academy and the Marine Corps set his foundation of who he is as a man and as a leader, and I think it'll be a really interesting discussion. Again, I talk a lot about how the mission of the Naval Academy is development in order to graduate leaders who are dedicated to a career of service, whether that be in command, in citizenship or in government, and so in this episode, we're going to talk about what was the foundation and what things really shaped him in his journey to being the mayor of the city of Newport News and getting into a political career, and so I hope you enjoy this episode. If you ever have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, I really hope you enjoy getting to listen to Mayor Philip Jones, because he's the man. He's a tremendously great individual. I'm excited for you to hear him talk. Thank you so much. Have a great day. I really appreciate it.

Speaker 1:

The Academy Insider Podcast is sponsored by the Vermeer Group, a residential real estate company that serves the United States Naval Academy community and other select clientele in both California and Texas. If I can ever answer a real estate related question for you or connect you with a trusted Academy affiliated agent in the market which you're in, please reach out to me directly at grant at the premier groupcom. You can also reach out to me on my LinkedIn page grant for me, or and I'd be happy to respond to you there. Thank you so much, and now let's get back to the episode. All right, hey, everyone, and welcome back to the Academy Insider Podcast. Mayor Jones, thank you so much for taking the time to be with us today. You mind just telling the audience a little bit about yourself where you're from, how you ended up at the Naval Academy, what you did in the Marine Corps and how you ended up doing what you're doing now.

Speaker 2:

First of all, grant, I just want to say thanks so much for the opportunity. It's funny. I was in the gym this morning. I had my Naval Academy t-shirt on. We're actually shooting a promo for the gym, so anytime I can talk all things Academy, it's great. Those who don't know me hey, I'm Mayor Phillip Jones, mayor of Newport News, virginia. It's actually where I'm from.

Speaker 2:

My mom and dad were actually Air Force Academy graduates. They were USFA class of 82. And like any good son and I'm the firstborn I had to do the exact opposite, so did not even apply to Air Force Academy actually only applied to West Point, annapolis, and we can talk about it a little bit later. But everything worked out. I was able to go to the Naval Academy class of 2012. After that, I sort of selected Marine Corps. I was infantry active duty for about six years with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, had a really great time with that battalion and that company. After that I went back to the basic school as an instructor and then I wanted to basically shift my focus in life. I love the Marine Corps. I'm actually still in the reserves with the Marine Corps Innovation Unit but I got out.

Speaker 2:

I went to Harvard for my business school education as well as my public policy education, because I think, you know, the intersection of the public and the private sector is going to be the future. After doing that, I did consulting, like every you know MBA drag. I did consulting for about 18 months and then I moved back home to Newport News and ran for mayor in November of 2012. We were able to pull it out. I've been mayor for about two years and it's my dream job. It's the you know equivalent of being like a regimental commander. I have, you know, over 600 police officers, a lot of fire officers, and every single day I get to wake up and make sure that Newport News, virginia, is the best place to live, to work and to raise your family. So really excited to be here, grant, and looking forward to this discussion.

Speaker 1:

All right and for everyone listening, it's really easy to tell that the mayor is a great guy. And just for background, one of my best friends from the academy was actually at the basic school while you were going through it back as an instructor, and so everyone, like again, everyone loves you from all aspects of the Marine Corps life to the Academy life, to everything. So for everyone listening, everything that you hear in this is completely genuine from this man, so it's really nice to have you here and I appreciate it. As you were kind of going through the Marine Corps and getting out, did you always know that you wanted to run for mayor of the city of Newport News? Like, was this something that growing up, you had in the back of your head that you wanted to come back and be the mayor, or kind of what inspired you to actually make this choice and get back into leadership and government?

Speaker 2:

That's a really good question and it's funny for the most part, if you are a veteran and you're going through your MBA or your JD, you know everyone reaches out to me to say, like, how did you do it? Like, what are some of your thoughts? And, honestly, my first year of grad school. So I got out of the Marine Corps active duty around 2018. I took the first year and tried to figure out you know, what type of life do I want to lead? People have always said, hey, you're a really good leader, but that's just a bunch of soft skills. What do I really want to make a difference on in the world? And there's an old quote if you want to change the world, start at home.

Speaker 2:

And I'm really only from one of two places. I was born in Okinawa, Japan, but I grew up, starting in fifth grade. I grew up in Hampton Road, which is in Southeast Virginia, and so I love my city. I knew there was a lot of opportunity. For those who don't know, we're a city of just under about 190,000 people, so we're the fifth largest city in Virginia and directly linked to the Naval Academy is we're only a city because of Newport News Shipbuilding, so it's the number one or the largest employer in the state of Virginia and the Commonwealth. And we build every single aircraft carrier and about 30% of all submarines are built in the Newport News Shipyard dry dock.

Speaker 2:

So it's the perfect combination of leadership skills, Marine Corps and the Navy. It's actually funny, Grant, yesterday the Secretary of the Navy came down to Newport News and were able to tour the new carriers in the shipyard. So it's everything sort of goes, and the best part is my academy classmate, Donnie Bowers, is actually the SECNAV's flag aid. So it all goes together and it's good to see Naval Academy grads in all walks of life. But yeah, I, just I got out of the Marine Corps. I didn't think mayor was going to be it, but about my second year in grad school the current mayor was 74, announced that he wasn't going to run for office again and for those who do politics, the best time to win is an open seat, and so a lot of you know challenges and struggles, but we're able to pull it off and you know, every day we try to make a difference.

Speaker 1:

I love it Because originally you were on the pretty classic J-O transition timeline from high performing J-O to business school to consulting. You were on path to live that life and then it was a quick switch over into the city government and leadership, and so that's really cool. I want to really focus this episode again. A large majority of our audience are young men and women who may be interested in the academy, and parents and loved ones of current midshipmen. So I really want to put a focus on how the Naval Academy, how the midshipmen experience in Annapolis and then your time as a Marine really set the foundation for what you're doing now. And so I do want to just kind of start off with that question is how do you think your midshipman experience and being a student at the Naval Academy set the foundation for not even what you're doing today, but who you are today?

Speaker 2:

No, I tell everyone, it was not Harvard that shaped me, it was the Naval Academy. That's where I got the repetitions to be a good leader, and I personally think that leadership is a muscle and the more you work on it you know. There's a quote at the Academy is you can't be sort of a subpar midshipman and then you cross that. You know that stage at graduation and now you're the best second lieutenant. There's always going to be your outliers, but for the most part my classmates that were excellent in either sports or academics or in leadership were the same ones that were excellent leaders in the Marine Corps or in the Navy. And you can see, you know they're all. They're all special forces or they're all you know McKenzie or whatever it is. So I really think that excellence is always going to be a habit. It's going to be how we can do it again and again and again. And so for me I give the perfect example is youngster year, I think I'm taking 21 credits, I'm honors history at that point, and I think I get up in the morning I have a PFT, then I do a five or six day. In the middle of it I have swimming class, then I go back and do some, like you know, battalion or brigade sergeant, major meeting, and just the ability to stack all those meetings together, the ability to have good time management. It's the same thing that I use as mayor.

Speaker 2:

Yesterday with SECNAV, my schedule was booked. We actually also had the secretary of labor here, so we have all these cabinet level individuals. I do that, but then I immediately leave, get in my car, drive to the fire station, have dinner with my firefighters and then we unfortunately we lost a police officer so I went to her vigil. We also sergeant, so I went to her vigil that night. So I think the ability to just put things into compartments and able to sort of push through. I learned that leave year and youngster year, you know, second class year, you sort of push through. I learned that plebe year and youngster year, second class year, you sort of refine it, and then first class year, it was really just getting ready for their Marine Corps, for the Navy.

Speaker 1:

Yeah, no, absolutely. It's a huge lesson learned, right, and I think back on it as I tell stories about the Academy and do this stuff and as the plebes are going through it right now. They're making boards, they're doing signature sheets, they're going through and having to study all the weekly pronos, they're having to navigate classes for the first time and their sport or their ECA. They're getting hit with exactly what you talked about, which is more things and more time management than you could ever know what to do with, and it requires that compartmentalization, it requires being really good at prioritizing things that need to get done, and so I think that's an incredible, incredible lesson and for you at your time at the Academy, were those things that you kind of went through and learned individually? Or do you have any mentors that you remember at the academy that really helped you kind of realize these lessons and navigate these situations for the first time, like who really poured into your experience while you were in the shipment?

Speaker 2:

It's a good question. So I think, first of all it's Senior Chief Rodriguez. He was, you know, the first time. You know I'm an Air Force family, so first time you actually meet like a Navy chief and, you know, the first time. You know I'm an Air Force family, so first time you actually meet like a Navy chief and you know sort of what that does to you. I think he was a, you know, senior chief, selected at the time.

Speaker 2:

But you know I was, I was a pretty. I didn't struggle with academics at the academy, I was sort of like I could not study and probably get like a like a 3-0 or 3-1, to be honest. And I can remember, you know, after plea beer he sort of pulled me aside and said, like this is not that hard for you, but you're basically you're not living up to your full potential. And he was always hard on me with uniform inspections and et cetera. And so he told me you know, you can just like, if you want to go for the 4-0, you can have the 4-0. And so after that year I was, you know, basically knocking out three sevens consistently. But it wasn't just because it's not a smart thing, it's just the ability to apply yourself. So I think my, my senior chief was was amazing.

Speaker 2:

And then I was on seven, four, 15th company, feisty goats. I truly believe that iron sharpens iron. And to go through with my, you know, sisters and brothers and, and I'm not sure how, how the Academy is back now. But we didn't, we didn't rotate right, so there was only 30 companies. We were, I believe, summer till the end. Like those are my closest friends, we text all the time, so really just trying to keep up with them.

Speaker 2:

And then once again from the Academy you know, academy is very strong Then I go to the Academy class at TBS and then I go to the Academy class at IOC, and then I go to the academy class at TBS and then I go to the academy class at IOC and then I go to my battalion, right. So like I've sort of always been with the mids and it's been great. But I just learned so much that first two years, one about manhood and two just about what it takes to be a leader. I know I wanted to be a Marine sort of early on, and so you know, back then we had Major Shantosh was a walking, he was a living legend, right, I think it was a Silver Star Navy Cross. But you can imagine, you have Shantosh, you have Senior Chief, you have all these living legends walking around. You're only going to get better on a day-to-day basis.

Speaker 1:

And to answer your question and for anyone listening, it actually has changed a little bit. So currently they shifted back. There's now 36 companies. So it's no longer 30 companies, it's 36 companies and as of recently they've been basically shotgunning plebes again. So basically at the end of your plebe year the company that you were with in plebe year, all the plebes will kind of get scattered across the brigade and entered into new companies for the remaining three years during their time in Annapolis. So again comes with different pros and cons. But to kind of answer the question that people are listening is actually yes, you're no longer with the same company all four years. They've expanded the organization of 36 companies and they're doing the shotgunning of plebes at the end of plebe year.

Speaker 1:

So it feels weird when I go back and say that and trying to like stay in tune with the academy, because it feels like I want to believe I'm still like a recent graduate, like I was just a midshipman and nothing's changed, and then I'm like no, that was like 10 years ago, it's like 10 years ago and stuff changes. So you mentioned having a mentor there a little bit as well, kind of someone you looked up to that was a Marine. Was the Marine Corps what you always wanted to do, or was that something that was developed over the time of the Academy, via approach, mid and then kind of going on leatherneck during a summer training, or what really motivated you and attracted you to the Marine Corps?

Speaker 2:

I think you know, plie beer, everyone wants to be like a Navy SEAL or a doctor. I think that's you know. I think it's like there's 10 spots and everyone goes for it. But for me, you know, I think it was mostly the Marine Corps. Very early on, that was the leadership style that I tried to practice and, to be honest, being a mayor or being in the Marine Corps is pretty much the same. At the end of the day, it's servant leadership, it's showing up when your people need you. And we can talk more about it.

Speaker 2:

But you know, I had my first, basically two days of mayor. I had a school shooting right, and we got a lot of press on it and everyone said like, oh, mayor, you did a really good job. And all I could say was you know what? Like any one of my friends, marine Corps officers, navy officers, would have done the exact same thing. You get the phone call you as a leader at the point of friction, and the point of friction was the school right. So I think people underestimate how much leadership is required and, to be honest, you know, I know we're talking about the academy, but a lot of these civilian jobs, industry, they really lack leaders and I think you know we talk about it, but those, these service academies are legitimately a laboratory in leadership. Everything that I learned I learned from the academy A long way to answer your question, but the Marine Corps has really taught me a lot. I use all of the traits, all of the little ditties, etc. I still use it on a daily basis.

Speaker 1:

I agree wholeheartedly. I think, like you're saying, the service academies set the foundation for you to continue to build upon that and so you know again, after graduation you make your way to TBS. As we're talking about setting the foundation, how do you think the academy not only prepared you for life and being the mayor, but specifically prepared you for your initial training and going to TBS in the Marine Corps? Kind of how was that initial phase of transitioning again from being a midshipman to being a Marine officer? And then how did the Academy prepare you to kind of excel and make your way through Marine Corps training?

Speaker 2:

Yeah, so I mean, I think you know I lived in 7-4, so we had the 24-7 gym downstairs. So you know the ones. I tell everyone. You know, if you put in the work I'm a big fan of you know, whatever you you sew, like that would, that's what you're probably going to reap, to be honest. And so the ones who are working out were the ones who didn't fall out in hikes, the ones who were physically ready, mentally ready.

Speaker 2:

Tbs was hard but it's not that hard. You know it's like a 90. You know five percent pass rate or whatever. So as long as you don't get hurt, like you're going to to be okay. And so, once again, I was very blessed and fortunate. I went through TBS and IOC with all of my academy friends and so it was just like you know, actually I miss the days of you walk out into like the P-Way and it's like your entire class is right there. You know getting mud off your boots. But if you do the academy the right way and you use it to get all of your mistakes out like that, if you do the academy the right way and you use it to get all of your mistakes out, that's how you're supposed to do it. You're supposed to show up to the fleet. You're not going to be perfect, but you're going to be ready to stand in front of Marines and command that platoon.

Speaker 1:

Yep, 100%. And your MOS ends up being infantry, you become an infantry Marine. What was your time actually like in the Marine Corps at that point? Did you go on deployments, trainings, time out to sea on a Mew? What was your experience as a Marine and how did that and I'm sure again, some of the exhaustion, some of the adversity, some of the difficulties how did that shape you as a man, as a leader, and what were some of your experiences really out in the field or out to sea with your Marines?

Speaker 2:

Yeah.

Speaker 2:

So when I was an instructor at the basic school when I was a staff platoon commander, I told everyone IOC, which is the infantry officer course, was not a fun time for me, right? I was always a light guy, probably weighed like 150. I lost almost 30 pounds. I think I weighed in at 119 when it was said and done. But the purpose of IOC was to sort of break you down so that you're ready to stand in front of that platoon and really take command of it. So shout out to Captain Dean and Captain Paulus and my entire IOC staff. They really sort of molded and put their heart and soul into us and so yeah.

Speaker 2:

I was with 1st Battalion, 8th Marines, charlie Company, as a platoon commander. 1st Platoon had a lot of adventures. The one that I'll tell you a story about is so my first deployment was to Southeast Asia. We were part of the Thailand, the Mongolia, the Philippine Okinawa sort of rotation. But before we get there it's called ITX Integrated Training Exercise. You go to the desert in California, you prep for, you know, four to five weeks, et cetera, and before then, and like going back, it gives me goosebumps to even talk about it. But before the exercise, you know, the Marines always said you know that's the lieutenant Like hey, lt wants this, lt wants this. So during the exercise it's, you know, live fire, but it's a training exercise. We have a short round. So I'm in an AAV which is basically a water tank. I'm in the troop command, the TC hatch Short RD round comes down. We hit the brakes and the TC hatch comes down and shatters my hand right. So I have like broken four bones. We finished the mission right. I refused medevac call on my own nine line. They medevaced me out to the hospital. They saved my hand Basically.

Speaker 2:

Four days later I'm back in the field, right Back with my Marines, and after that my Marines. It shifted from the Lieutenant to my Lieutenant right. It became possessive and that's the thing I'm most proud of. So I took those boys about 45 Marines to Okinawa and Southeast Asia, brought everybody back. And then my second deployment I was the company executive officer. So post Benghazi they had something called Task Force Tripoli and it was basically SP MAGTAF in North Africa. So we were based in Italy and we basically had embassy reinforcement for basically nine embassies in Africa. So it was definitely. I missed being a platoon commander, but XO time was good to me. And then, after XO time and my second deployment, I went back to TBS as an instructor.

Speaker 1:

Sure, absolutely Very cool and again getting out of the Marine Corps now and settling into being the mayor of Newport News and just where you are in today's life. How did that Marine Corps experience shape? Exactly like who you are in today's life? And I know you mentioned again the first instance of your being a mayor and what again, being at the Academy and being a Marine taught you about being at the point of friction. But what other things do you carry from your Marine Corps experience in your everyday life today, like what things from the Marine Corps, the ethos of it all, are still at the core of who you are and you really try and you know, utilize to propel you in today's life.

Speaker 2:

Yeah, Going back to my you know my IOC instructors. They always said find a way to win. And when I was running, when I was a candidate, I ran against three city council members who all were popular in different parts of the city. The only way that I was able to win was to quit my job to basically live on a couch and to knock doors for eight months. Right so, eight months in the heat, getting after it on a day-to-day basis, talking to 10, if not 20,000 people over an eight-month period.

Speaker 2:

I think that tenacity, that ability to find a way to win, was.

Speaker 2:

Maybe I already had it, but the Marine Corps cultivated it. It developed it and nurtured that intensity and I'm a pretty relaxed guy, but when it comes to doing the city's business, I'm a all-business guy and I want to give a shout out to New Politics. It's a bipartisan organization. It helps veterans get elected, because in Congress and in other bodies we are at the lowest amount of veterans in those bodies and, as a result, you don't see a lot of across the aisle cooperation, and I've always believed that we have much more in common than that which separates us, and so, as mayor, it's really just the natural evolution of being in the Marine Corps. It's servant leadership, it's showing up for your police officers, for your, you know, monday we had the first day of school. I was out there with the kids talking to the teachers. You know it's about 190,000 people with different interests and different ethnic backgrounds and interests, but it's a strong city and I'm just so proud to represent it and the Marine Corps was probably the most integral part of that.

Speaker 1:

I love it. It's so cool and, again, this is one of these things that I talk about all the time for people who are considering a service academy, right, is it truly is going to set you up for life. The education is a whole person education. Right, it's not just an academic experience Now the academics are very serious but it's a whole person education. It's truly. Again, when we talk about the mission of the Naval Academy, it's all about development. It's about development of you as a person, as a leader, right, and so I think it's just really cool to hear that articulated again. What you're saying, which is you have the foundation. It may be who you are, but the environment that you're a part of is going to cultivate it and develop it even further, right, and turn you into a person and get you ready to again to assume those positions of real leadership out in your life.

Speaker 1:

Right, and the calling, hopefully right is that service is not just what we do. You know again, this is a phrase that I like to use is that, like, service is not just what we do. Like when you decide to wear the uniform for the last time, it doesn't mean that service has ended. Right, like I truly believe the service academies and you know the Navy and Marine Corps instill service as a virtue. It's that the service is who you are and whether, no matter what you are doing, you're going to do it in a way to hopefully again serve your community, serve the people that you care about and just like generally be a force for good right in your everyday life.

Speaker 1:

So it's really incredible to get to hear you talk about that, to articulate everything that you're saying about your mission experience and the Marine Corps experience and kind of another piece that I like to talk about and it's tough at times for younger men and women to really wrap their mind around this but it's really the influence of the Naval Academy network that you're becoming a part of and I loved the words that you used there which is like you develop this tenacity, you develop this resilience and toughness through your time there and I think those traits keep you connected to everyone who shares the same values as a result of our shared common experiences.

Speaker 1:

And so I want to talk about the influence of the Naval Academy Network in your life and especially in your transition into civilian life and city government and government leadership, and so in getting ready for your campaign for the mayor position. Like you're saying, it's a tough spot. There are three candidates who kind of own a certain piece of the city and all these different aspects and you've never done politics before. How did you capitalize and utilize the Naval Academy Network to help you with this, whether it was again mentorship, actual, tangible help like? How did you approach that and how did you utilize and leverage the Naval Academy Network?

Speaker 2:

It's a good question. And, like any good Marine, right, like, before I started an adventure, I always do a leader's recon, right. So that's what I did during my second and third year at Harvard. Because of the network, I was able to talk to every for the most part, every single veteran that had run for Congress or governor over the last two or three years, right? So, like you know, that's 20 or 30 phone calls that I'm doing. So no need to recreate the wheel. They're like no Philip, do this, do that, raise money here, do this up, change this speech, et cetera. So I think it's just building that connection.

Speaker 2:

And and the second thing I'll say is I love the academy network because it's not transactional, right, I'm sort of team no new friends, right, my, the people that I did cleave summer with, the people that I did tbs with, or ioc, whether they're academy or non-academy, like if you saw me at the IOC death hike, like you know me, you know what I'm saying. Like there's, like there's no way I can flex. Like you know who I am and I know all my friends are going to watch and laugh at this. But it's, it's hard to flex when people have seen you at your worst, whether it's, I believe, summer, when you're 18, you know, you know, unfortunately, we had, we had, we've, we've, you know, lost some classmates to plane crashes or accidents, et cetera, to suicide, and so I think that brings you together as a class, and I'm 2012. I'm 12 years out, we had our 10-year reunion and people are changing, et cetera.

Speaker 2:

But it's not transactional with people that you went to the academy with or people that you serve in uniform with, and so I rely on them. They are my closest advisors. I'm in group chats right now with some of my classmates talking about hey, somebody's getting married, what's the bachelor party? But the ability to lean on someone that doesn't want a favor in return cannot be overstated, especially in today's day and age where, at least from a man, on a men's perspective, you know, the average man has, I think, point eight close friends. The average man in America does not have one close friend to rely on. I have, I have 25 people that I can talk to when I am in crisis, whether it's personal crisis or professional.

Speaker 1:

No, 100%, that's. It's really special, right I agree to again to this day. My closest friends, the people that I truly care about, love and know and, like you're saying, can ask for anything without any expectation of return whatsoever, are the people that I went through the academy with right, just straight up, and so I couldn't agree more. That's really cool, and I just want to, as we start the transition into wrapping this up a little bit, how do you want to use your position now and influence over to make a positive impact in the communities of Newport News? Like, what is your vision with Newport News and what are you hoping to accomplish during your time as the mayor?

Speaker 2:

Yeah. So there's probably three or four things that I want to do, in no particular order. Number one with all the money that's flowing towards shipbuilding, I want to make Newport News the center of excellence for shipbuilding in the world. Right, we have the Australian deal that was just signed with AUKUS. We have, you know, great power conflict coming up in the Pacific. You can only build aircraft carriers in one spot in my city, right? So I want to leverage that to make sure that we can build out my downtown, like a lot of cities. You know, downtowns have been dying for decades, but I want to use the Navy as that investor to bring back my downtown.

Speaker 2:

Number two I want to have the safest city in Virginia. Unfortunately, last year we had the highest murder rate ever Since then. We are 50 percent homicides down year over year and I want to continue to do that drop. The third thing is I want to invest in our public school system. I have over 28,000 kids that are educated every single day at Newport News. We have amazing teachers. Our SOL scores could be better.

Speaker 2:

As mayor, I want to find the funding to make sure that we can double down and invest in our kids, because ultimately, you know the kids are going to be the future. And the last thing is a little bit more sort of you know, meta, but I want to bring hope and change. For far too long our city acts like we're a small town city of, you know, 30,000 people. If there are conversations happening at the national level, newport News deserves to have a seat at that table and so under me we will continue to invest in those things and grow in gravitas across the country. But I cannot overemphasize. It is an amazing team. It is not one person. I have an amazing. I have six city council members, I have a city manager, I have an entire team and we all work together to make Newport News the best place to live, work and raise your family.

Speaker 1:

Love it, I appreciate it and thanks for thanks for sharing that and best of luck in that journey and continue. I mean, I know you're going to just make it happen. Sheer will right Again. Everything is a habit You're going to put again. There's only certain things that are in your control and you're going to control those things and and make it happen. So that's incredible. And and just a final thought, for people who may be listening again, who may be interested in the service academy, who see you and be like man, like I want to be like Philip Jones one day what's your best recruiting pitch for why they should consider a service academy education? Why should young men and women consider going to a service academy?

Speaker 2:

I would say full stop If I could do it again, knowing everything that I know, I turned 35 in a few weeks. 100% do it. I have always found in my life that the road that is less traveled is probably the best one. Right In the Marine Corps we say the hardest decision is usually the right one. The Academy is amazing, and even the ability to one day command and to lead the best and brightest men and women in the Navy and the Marine Corps cannot be understated. That is a moral obligation and I think that's the best part of my life.

Speaker 2:

Having the best job I ever had was serving in the Marine Corps, which is why I'm still on the reserves, number two. Even if you only stay a few years, the skills that you've learned can be leveraged to be a leader in anything Politics, government, private sector, public sector, nonprofit, sports it doesn't matter. I always see academy grads succeeding, because that is the way of life. We always find a way to win. And the last thing I'll say is you know, on a personal note, to develop friendships and bonds with people that have chosen to make a decision when they're 16 to serve or 17 to serve their country cannot be understated. They, I think are the best of us and I'm just honored to be a part of 2012 and 15 company. I really do miss those guys and gals.

Speaker 1:

Absolutely. I couldn't agree more. I came across there's something I posted on LinkedIn the other day it was a quote I saw which is that people are seeking delayed gratification less and less, which is just making the reward for delaying your gratification more and more Right, and I truly believe that the service academy education again, it's not the fun choice. Right, it's not. It's not the fun choice. It's not going to college, it's not rushing your fraternity and sorority and partying with everyone, but it's an incredible life choice and for all the reasons you've articulated, for all the anecdotes that you've shared in your learning experience through the whole thing. So I couldn't agree more and I just want to thank you for your time today. Do you have any parting thoughts you'd like to leave before we officially wrap up?

Speaker 2:

I just want to say just thank you to you. Thank you for not only this opportunity, but the ability to use your platform to promote all the good. I'm going to give a plug right. We need the best and brightest in America to join. We cannot have a society in which people continue to take. People have to sign up and join and be part of something bigger than yourself. So just thank you. Thank you to everyone listening. Go Navy.

Speaker 1:

Beat Army, beat Army. Appreciate it. All right, everyone. Thank you so much for listening to the Academy Insider Podcast. Appreciate it. If you ever have any questions, let me know. Otherwise, mayor Phillip Jones, you're the man dude. Thank you so much for being here. Thank you so much for listening to this episode of the Academy Insider Podcast. I really hope you liked it, enjoyed it and learned something during this time. If you did, please feel free to like and subscribe or leave a comment about the episode. We really appreciate to hear your feedback about everything and continue to make Academy Insider an amazing service that guides, serves and supports midshipmen, future midshipmen and their families. Thank you,

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Grant Vermeer

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