Media advisory issued August 1, 2002, effective immediately.
For media inquiries, contact John March, Communications Specialist, (580) 224-6362.
  email: jrmarch@noble.org.

Noble Foundation Names New Chief Financial Officer

ARDMORE, Okla. — Patrick Jones has been named vice president, chief financial officer and treasurer of The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, Inc., of Ardmore. Mr. Jones will join the Foundation on August 12.

Previously Mr. Jones was senior vice president and chief financial officer of Hobby Lobby Stores, Inc. He joined Hobby Lobby in 1993 as controller. He was promoted to vice president and chief financial officer in 1996, and was named senior vice president in 2000. In this position he oversaw the administration of all financial, accounting and information-systems functions of the firm. During his tenure, Hobby Lobby grew from 50 stores to more than 280 stores.

A native of the San Francisco Bay area, Mr. Jones is a graduate of the University of Oklahoma with a BBA degree in accounting and an MBA. He is also a Certified Public Accountant. He and his wife Carla currently live in Edmond with their four children, Caitlin, Steven, Natalie and Ryan.

"I'm gratified to have the opportunity to work with a group doing so many great things for the state of Oklahoma and beyond. The Noble Foundation is a unique organization, and I’m honored to be a part of it," said Jones.

In announcing the appointment, Michael A. Cawley, Foundation president, stated, "This is a very exciting time for the Noble Foundation. While we are clearly focused on the present, we look to the future with great anticipation. We’re very pleased that Pat Jones will be working with us to help us fulfill our mission. His qualifications are outstanding, and we believe he’ll make significant contributions to our ongoing success."

The Noble Foundation is the largest private charitable foundation in the state of Oklahoma. As both an operating and granting foundation, its mission is to enable individual farmers and ranchers achieve their goals through consultation, education, research and demonstration; to enhance plant productivity through fundamental research and applied biotechnology; and to assist selected nonprofit organizations through grants and employee involvement.

The Foundation currently employs more than 260 people. It has spent more than $500 million on charitable purposes since its founding by Lloyd Noble in 1945.

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Photo:
Patrick Jones 80k JPEG

The Samuel Roberts Noble Foundation, headquartered in Ardmore, Okla., is a non-profit organization conducting agricultural, forage biotechnological, and plant biology research; providing grants to numerous non-profit charitable, educational and health organizations; and assisting farmers and ranchers through educational and consultative agricultural programs.

To learn more, visit the Noble Foundation Web site at http://www.noble.org.

More news releases available at www.noble.org/Press_Release