A local Licensed Practical Nurse has been elected to the council that oversees certification exams and the policies of nursing boards nationwide.

Marjesta Jones was elected director of the National Council of State Boards of Nursing, an organization composed of 61 state nursing boards, earlier this month.

Jones is also serving her second four-year term on the Alabama Board of Nursing.

Jones said part of the reason why she decided to put her name on the ballot for the director position was to keep Alabama visible in the nursing community. She did very little in the way of campaigning and only spoke of her goals for the national council during a forum held for all the candidates.

The Wallace Community College-Selma graduate has worked for years with both the Vaughan Regional Medical Center and the Selma City School system.

Dividing her time between work and board meetings keeps Jones on the go, but she said so far that she is enjoying the experience.

Jones is not the first nurse from Alabama to be named to the national board, but she is the first from Selma.

The one-year term will officially begin next week when Jones attends her first meeting in Chicago. The national board will then continue to meet quarterly.

Jones said she would continue to serve on the state nursing board during her tenure as the director of the national board.

Becoming a nurse was a childhood dream for Jones, who said it was something she always wanted to do. Now she is looking forward to heading the national nursing board and teaching others what she has learned throughout her career.