From starting his first business at age 12 to raise money for a video game console to be a self-taught developer, his personal motivation to better himself created opportunities for him to take advantage of various situations. And through his blessings, he would like to pay it forward by creating opportunities for others that might need a helping hand.

Today, Claude Jones is a seasoned technical leader with over 15 years of experience. He is currently the site lead for Walmart Labs in Carlsbad helping to contribute to the growing tech culture here in San Diego. In addition, Claude continues to pay it forward. In his spare time, he runs the Elevate Foundation, an organization he started focused on giving back to the community by helping others in need. He started The Practical Leadership Guy where he offers free services for motivational speaking, life coaching, and his thoughts through his blog to encourage others to be the best they can be.

Claude sees San Diego Tech Hub as an extension of his passions to continue bringing people together for the greater good. In Claude's own words: "We should never wait for opportunities to come when we can create them for ourselves."