Eileen Jones - Founder Gift of Hearing Foundation

Eileen is a late-deafened adult who lost her remaining hearing at the age of 45. She is a bilateral cochlear implant recipient who has obtained very successful results. She received her first cochlear implant in 2002, and her second in 2009. Eileen teamed with Dr. Daniel Lee of MEEI in 2004 (then Director of UMMC’s Cochlear Implant Program) with the unified goal of helping others defeat deafness; thus “The Gift of Hearing Foundation” was established. 

Ms. Jones applies her business and entrepreneurial experience gained from co-founding Software Productivity Research, Inc., with her husband in 1986.  SPR is a management software tool and consulting firm and is still an ongoing concern. The bulk of their client base is Fortune 100 companies. Ms. Jones and her husband, Capers Jones, retired from SPR and now reside in Narragansett, Rhode Island.  Eileen has also served on many philanthropic and fund raising committees, most recently “The Dance of Peace Committee” in Narragansett, RI.

Together with the talented and generous board members of The Gift of Hearing Foundation and relationships forged with the CI industry, Ms. Jones has been able to open new paths to access and awareness of the cochlear implant technology.  In a relatively short amount of time, this group effort has resulted in several public service informational brochures, grants, supportive legislation, and individual assistance to name but a few accomplishments. Eileen has become a spokesperson for the CI technology, as well as several others on the GOHF boards.

Ms. Jones received her B.S. degree in Information Systems and Computer Applications with honors from Bridgeport University in 1981. She is currently a member of Hearing Loss Association of America (HLAA), A.G. Bell Association for the Hard of Hearing, Association for Late Deafened Adults (ALDA), the General Federation of Women’s Clubs (GFWC), and Women’s Network Rhode Island (WNRI).