Atiba Jones grew up in West Philadelphia in a household where he watched both of his parents constantly reaching out and helping to uplift inner-city youth. After high school, he moved to Atlanta to attend Morehouse College. It was there that he decided to dedicate his life to uplifting under-served
youth. He went on to earn a BA in Psychology and a Masters Degree in Educational Leadership. He has
worked as a teacher, counselor, school leader, program director and community organizer. In 2006, he
founded a K-8 private school and acted as its director for 7 years. He has also initiated various urban
agriculture initiatives around metro Atlanta. Before joining IMAN, he served as the Program Manager of
the Urban Youth Corps of Greening Youth Foundation, which works to train youth in agriculture,
conservation and construction. He is also passionate about urban agriculture and spoken word poetry.