Making extraordinary strides and making a noteworthy difference in Hampton Roads. As part of a nationwide campaign by our parent company, Nexstar’s Media Group, we’ll bring you the the stories of four women in the running for the 2025 Remarkable Women Award.
NEWPORT NEWS, Va. (WAVY) — There’s the saying: A women’s place is wherever she wants to be. For Newport News native Yugonda Sample Jones, it’s in her hometown, contributing to her community.
“I’ve been there, and I am the people that I serve,” she said. “I can’t just walk by and know that I might know or have an answer to connect someone to an opportunity or a resource.”
As the founder and CEO of Empower All, Jones has helped transform many lives in underserved communities by breaking institutional hurdles, even assisting more than 300 families find stable housing. But Jones identifies with those she pours into beyond anyone’s understanding.
“I remember I was pregnant and I had my oldest daughter at the time,” said Jones. “She was nine-years-old and I was pregnant with my son and I was homeless. I was a young mother still trying to figure it out. And it really shook me and what my family instilled in me, my life experience is to have the wherewithal to be aware, to be able to ask questions, to get to where I needed to be.”
No stranger to opposition, Jones is also a domestic violence survivor, and said every issue she helps someone overcome is something adjacent to her heart.
“I want to make sure that I empower young women that were my age,” Jones said. “Not just young ladies, but anyone that is experiencing domestic violence.”
Those trying times guided her to lead dozens to find a way forward. She’s even ushered nearly 70 people into entrepreneurship through launching businesses with the help of the State Corporation Commission.
“It’s important for us to understand that it doesn’t take a lot,” she said. “You just have to want to do it. And a lot of times, we have the skills of our hands or the talents to be able to turn it to a business. We just may not have the confidence.”
From Community Resource Walks where she and devoted volunteers meet the needs of the people at their front doorsteps, to the Royals Initiative, where she mentors young women, to partnerships with community gardens where she addresses food insecurity, Jones’ activism is evident and compelling. And nothing is worth more than helping a community blossom where her roots are.
“I’m first-generation Newport News, so my family roots are in the Eastern Shore of fishing, and that’s a rural area with little opportunity,” said Jones. “Newport News is embedded in me.”
Adding to the hats of CEO, philanthropist and local leader, Jones also currently heads as chairwoman of the Citizens Advocacy Committee for the Choice Neighborhood Initiative and has contributed to the Bloomberg-Harvard Leadership Initiative and the Newport News Human Rights Commission.
Those who know her work say, if there’s one thing about Jones, her community’s needs are at the forefront of her mind.
“I was able to grow into who I am as a woman and be bold enough to share my story, which encourages other people to share their story,” Jones said.
And that’s what makes her remarkable.
The 2025 Remarkable Women winner will be announced on the Hampton Roads Show April 1.
She will receive a $1,000 donation to the charity of her choice and a free trip to Los Angeles. The winner will also be in the running to be named as Nexstar Media Group’s Woman of the Year and be awarded $25,000 to a non-profit she selects.
