Aaron Jones
Shareholder, Belin McCormick
Age: 30
Education: University of Michigan - B.A. in economics, minor in business administration; University of Michigan Law School
Girlfriend: Courtney Ihnen
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Tell us four of your proudest accomplishments or accolades.
Shareholder at Belin McCormick, serving as legal counsel in corporate matters to organizations across the country, including Neighborhood Finance Corp., Iowa Public Radio, the Iowa State Fair and People Inc.
President-elect of the Young Lawyers Division and governor on the Iowa State Bar Association board.
Co-chair of the Iowa Mock Trial committee since 2020, helping bring the 2026 national championship to Des Moines and expanding access to legal education across Iowa, including in legal deserts and historically underserved communities.
Board member of Variety – the Children’s Charity and the business resources board of the Greater Des Moines Partnership.
What’s an experience or memory that influenced how you saw the world or what you wanted to do in life?
At 15, after a stretch of homelessness, I became primary caretaker for my younger siblings and navigated the workforce, landlords and food pantries to survive. I didn’t do it because I wanted to, but because no one else could. That season of life shaped everything about how I solve problems and show up for people today.
What’s one decision you made early in your career that had an outsized impact?
I made an early decision to invest in myself. I knew what it felt like to have nothing guaranteed, and I understood that even having the choice to consider work-life balance is a luxury. Instead of wasting the stability I had earned, I chose to sacrifice balance by showing up and saying yes.
What are your aspirations for the future?
I hope to keep earning trust as a legal and strategic partner to the people building Iowa’s future while working to expand what’s possible for the next generation. I’m focused on strengthening systems and investing in people. With the right infrastructure to unlock potential across generations, everything else takes care of itself.
What are you still working on to improve as a leader?
I’m still learning how to step back, especially when I know I could get something done faster or better myself. But impact doesn’t come from doing it all; it comes from building people up. The hardest part of leadership isn’t showing up everywhere, it’s making space for others to lead and shine.
What’s one piece of advice you’d give to a young professional?
Invest in yourself by saying yes early and often. If you don’t put yourself first, why should anyone else? Confidence and growth come from doing hard things. Don’t wait for permission — just show up, do the work, and learn faster than you think.
What’s one regular habit that’s made you successful?
I’m not the 5 a.m. smoothie-and-journal type, but I show up every day, especially when it’s uncomfortable. That consistency, even without perfect routines, has made all the difference. Motivation comes and goes, but doing the work anyway — one block of time at a time — has built more progress than any habit ever has.
What’s one outdated way of thinking that you’d like to challenge?
There’s this belief that being objective and fair means staying emotionally removed and that good judgment requires detachment. I think the opposite is true. The best decisions come from empathy, lived experience and instinct. Caring doesn’t cloud judgment, it sharpens it. Lived experience isn’t baggage; it’s strategic clarity.
What is one issue you would like to see Central Iowa leaders address, and why?
Central Iowa needs to take youth investment seriously, not just in schools, but in exposure to careers, civic life and leadership. Too many talented kids never see what’s possible here because no one ever showed them. If we want to solve workforce shortages, civic disengagement and brain drain, we have to start earlier. Access isn’t just about fairness, it’s about strategy. If we don’t grow our own future leaders, who will?
What’s one fun fact about you?
I played in a couple professional pool tournaments when I was younger. These days, I’m just a very above-average pool player who occasionally makes the table look smaller than it is.
Hobbies: Billiards, golf and eating.
What is one word that best describes you?
Scrappy.
What’s one food you think people must try in the Des Moines area?
Seafood bisque at Simon's.
What’s the funniest or most surprising thing that’s happened to you recently?
Sat next to Dana White for hours recently.
What’s your favorite tradition to participate in locally?
Iowa State Fair.
What is your go-to snack?
Doritos.