Kristopher Jones, Penn State Alumni and entrepreneur, will address graduates at the Penn State Wilkes-Barre commencement ceremony Saturday, May 10 at 10:00 a.m. in the campus' Athletics and Recreation Building.
Kris Jones is the founder of KBJ Capital, an early stage technology investment fund and incubator. KBJ Capital portfolio includes 15 companies including French Girls App, LSEO.com, Yumm.com, LavCup, APPEK Mobile Apps, VigLink, Highlighter.com, Pathmapp, Internet Media Labs, Internet Marketing Ninjas, and ReferLocal.com. Prior to starting KBJ Capital, Mr. Jones served as founder and former President and CEO of Pepperjam, a full-service internet marketing agency and affiliate network founded in 1999 and sold to eBay Enterprise (NASDAQ-EBAY) in 2009.
Kris was recognized in 2008 as a finalist for the prestigious Ernst & Young Entrepreneur of the Year and was a previous Entrepreneur of the Year by Bank of America (2005). He has been recognized as one of the "Top 20" Business Leaders in Northeastern, Pennsylvania under the age of 40 by two separate organizations (Times Leader and Northeastern Pennsylvania Business Journal).
Kris is the author of the best-selling book: "Search-Engine Optimization: Your Visual Blueprint to Effective Internet Marketing," originally published in 2008 the book sold nearly 100,000 copies. Most recently Kris released the Third Edition of SEO Visual Blueprint (April 2013), which is available at all major bookstores throughout the United States, Europe, and Canada. In 2014 Kris published the book "Local Search Engine Optimization - Crush Your Competition by Outranking them on Google."
Active in civic affairs, he is a member of the Misericordia University board of Trustees. Kris is an active member of Executive Committee of WVIA Channel 44/PBS Broadcasting Board of Directors and Member of Nominating Committee. Kris is active in United Way, CAN BE Business Incubator, Pennsylvania Keystone Innovation Zone (KIZ), Albany Law School Alumni Association, and Luzerne Foundation Millennium Circle. Kris is also active in the Penn State Wilkes-Barre Department of Information Science and Technology. Kris and his wife Robyn were awarded the 2014 "Community Philanthropist" award by the Volunteers of America.
Kristopher received a Bachelor of Arts from the Pennsylvania State University, a Master of Science from Villanova University, and a Juris Doctorate from Albany Law School.
Penn State Wilkes-Barre provides a world-renowned university in a smaller, more intimate setting. Dedicated staff and teachers have helped students of all ages since the campus' inception in 1916 and continue to provide excellent education and support. Penn State Wilkes-Barre boasts eight Bachelor's degrees and four Associate's degrees and the ability to start one of over 160 degrees at Penn State Wilkes-Barre and continue at another campus.
