2020
VIRA
LYNN JONES
DIRECTOR & FOUNDER
BEDFORD STUYVESANT
MUSEUM OF AFRICAN ART
Vira Lynn Jones has been serving as President of A.J. Archer Construction Company, a
female-owned W/MBE certified construction company. She has used her experience as a real
estate developer to empower women to create opportunities for themselves in the industry.
Jones has worked with nonprofit housing organizations to develop affordable housing.
Jones has also been serving as the founder and Executive Director of the Bedford Stuyvesant
Museum of African Art in Brooklyn (BSMAA), where she has collected African artifacts for
more than 30 years and has amassed more than 350 African artifacts. She has been using
BSMAA as an educational tool for the youth to create an appreciation of the rich and cultural
diversity of the people on the continent of Africa. It would make them better citizens who
would make greater contributions to humanity once they realize they come from a long line of
creative geniuses.
After she received a journalism degree from Ohio University, she joined the Peace Corps and
lived for two years in Ghana, West Africa. Upon her return, she worked for the Peace Corps
office in Washington, D.C. until she was offered an opportunity to teach English as a Second
Language (ESL) in The People’s Republic of China. Jones has traveled extensively in Brazil,
Southeast Asia and throughout Africa in Nigeria, South Africa, Cameroon, Burkina Faso, Ivory
Coast and Togo.
When she returned from China after two years, Jones moved to New York and obtained a
graduate degree from Columbia University. After purchasing a brownstone in Clinton Hill,
Jones’ career in real estate development was sparked.
POWER WOMEN NEW YORK