Government | Politics 2024: KHALID JONES

Following his appointment by Gov. Glenn Youngkin in April, Jones took the helm of the Virginia Lottery, an agency whose responsibilities continue to grow as the state embraces more forms of gambling. Besides overseeing traditional scratch and draw games, the state lottery has been charged with regulating casinos — legalized in Virginia through a 2020 law — and internet sports betting. For fiscal 2024, the Virginia Lottery reported record-breaking revenue of $5.5 billion, with profits of $934 million supporting K-12 schools.

An attorney, Jones previously was a partner at All American Licensing, a sports and entertainment branding, marketing and licensing firm, and SourceRock Partners, an investment firm focused on real estate, media, sports and technology. He began working with the gaming industry while at SourceRock, developing relationships with the Arizona Lottery and Multi-State Lottery Association.

Jones, who hails from Little Rock, Arkansas, holds degrees from Wake Forest University and Stanford Law School. He also co-founded several businesses, including the now-disbanded esports organization Echo Fox as well as consulting firm Kolier Group, whose clients included the Multi-State Lottery Association, Paramount Global and Universal Music Group.