2026 Virginia Black Business Leaders Awards: KHALID REEDE JONES

Gov. Glenn Youngkin appointed Jones to lead the Virginia Lottery in 2024. For the 2025 fiscal year, the lottery generated profits that totaled more than $901 million, the second highest profit in the lottery’s 37-year history.

Previously, Jones was an attorney who specialized in defending financial institutions in large-scale government investigations. He also served as a partner in a licensing consulting firm that provided legal and strategic advice to clients, which included state and national lottery organizations.

MOST MEANINGFUL JOB: The job I have now has been the most meaningful on a number of fronts. I have worked in the private sector my whole life before this role. I get to wake up in the morning and answer the question, “How do I get a billion dollars back to schoolchildren this year?” The sense of mission and purpose has been like none other.

HOW I GIVE BACK: I never like to pass up an opportunity for mentorship. There have been so many people in my life that have taken time to ensure that I created the best version of myself.

HOBBIES: I have a 4-year-old daughter, so my interests and hobbies include knowing the entire “Frozen” soundtrack word for word.

FAVORITE PLACE I’VE TRAVELED: In college I was an exchange student at Tokai University in Hiratsuka, Japan for six months. It was an amazing linguistic and cultural experience that is unrivaled.

WHAT I’VE LEARNED: Attack your current role or position as if your future dream job depended on your current performance.

BOOK I’D RECOMMEND: “Fooled by Randomness: The Hidden Role of Chance in Life and in the Markets,” by Nassim Nicholas Taleb. It shows how much luck plays in success and decision-making. Successful people have also been incredibly lucky, but you have to create the environment for the luck to matter.