Cynthia McGowen-Jones  is a native Houstonian born and raise in the Kashmere Gardens’ area to the parents of Councilman Ernest B. McGowen, Sr. and Jewell McGowen. Cynthia attended the Houston Independent School District’s public schools graduating from Kashmere Senior High School. She was ranked in the top ten percent of her class and a National Merit Scholarship Finalist.  Cynthia was a cheerleader for 3 years, co-captain her junior year, captain her senior year and was 2^nd s runner up to Miss Kashmere. Her cheerleader sponsor was Ms. Lena Maiden Youngblood. She also was captain of the Swim Team all three years of high school where she earned HISD’s District Championship Award in 50 and 100 yards Breaststroke and Backstroke. She was District Champ her junior and senior year of high school and placed 1^st and 2^nd in the HISD Final District Swim Meet. Her coach was Ms. T. Holtzclaw. She was a member of the National Honor Society and Student Council. Cynthia coached swimming for 10 years at Key MS and was named HISD “Swim Coach of the Year” for District I and “Swim Coach of the Year” by the Texas State Coaches Association. Cynthia taught swimming to the athletes of the Prairie View A & M University football team and the students of the Northeast Cultural Arts Council Summer Program. She currently owns, operates and instructs students at the Cancerian Swimming Academy.

After graduating from Kashmere she earned a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Educational Psychology with a minor in Mass Communications from Texas Southern University, a Reading Endorsement from the University of Houston, a Master of Arts Degree in Educational Administration and Supervision from Prairie View A & M University and a certification for teaching Secondary English .She taught English/Language Arts for 17 years at Key MS and   served as Cheerleader Sponsor, 7^th Grade Assistant Principal, English/Language Arts Coordinator, and English/Language Arts Department Chair. She was Supervisor for HISD’s Alternative Certification Program where she trained teachers to be teachers for 10 years. She taught secondary English at Boys and Girls Preparatory Academy, and Yates HS where she retired after 30 years of service. Her hobbies include swimming, volunteering in schools, volunteering with non-profit organizations, singing in her church choir (Wesley United Methodist Church) and lecturing the youth on the values of voting. She serves on the following non-profit Boards: Northeast Cultural Arts Council and Riverside Hospital.  She is a member of the Houston Metropolitan Alumni Chapter of Delta Sigma Theta, Inc. where she worked as Co-Chairperson of the Delta G.E.M.S for 6 years and one of the co-chairs of the Delta Educational Foundation’s Scholarship Program.

Cynthia was married to Gary Jones and they are the parents of three children: Gamal Iman Jones, H’Dari Ewan Jones and Johari Jamila Jones Williams.  She has eight grandchildren from the ages of 16 to 2 years. Her mentors are her parents, Ernest and Jewell McGowen, Louis J. Bailey, Verlene Davenport, and her mother in-law, Dr. Edith Irby Jones. Her philosophy of life is to help others, work hard for what you want and show kindness and respect to all.