Jones selected for Alumni Association's Achievement Award

Mikel Jones, vice president of brand and sponsorship communications at Citi, one of the world’s leading banking institutions, was among a group of 11 honorees who earned the Alumni Association’s Achievement Award this year.

The Alumni Achievement Award recognizes alumni 35 years of age and younger for their extraordinary professional accomplishments. Alumni are nominated by an academic college and invited by the President of the University to return to campus to share their expertise with students, faculty and administrators. They demonstrate to students that Penn State alumni can succeed in exceptional fashion at an early age.

Jones, as part of Citi’s Enterprise Services and Public Affairs team, leads public relations campaigns and internal communications for Citi’s sponsorships in social causes, sports, entertainment, art and culture.

Jones, who earned his bachelor’s degree in 2015, leads the strategic approach to media coverage for Citi’s brand reputation, advertising campaigns, and sponsorships including Citi Field, Global Citizen Festival, and the Aston Martin F1 Team. His career highlights include leading Citi’s earned media strategy on site at sponsored events like the Paralympic Games in Tokyo and Beijing, The President’s Cup in Charlotte, The Ryder Cup in Rome, and the Miami Grand Prix.

Jones has led social media campaigns to show Citi’s efforts to help close the racial wealth gap and has met with HBCU students to provide early career advice. He has also been featured on Citi’s TikTok account, providing consumer fraud prevention tips with over 6 million views.

Prior to joining Citi, Jones was on the customer service experience communications team at American Express and the corporate communications team at JetBlue Airways. He began his career as a specialist at the flagship Apple Store in New York City.

At Penn State, he was the director of communications for Lion Ambassadors, where he also met his fiancé, Tara Bendler (’15). He was also a diversity ambassador for the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications, a communications captain for the Penn State Dance Marathon, and a head lifeguard at the McCoy Natatorium.