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Edmond Life and Leisue - April 3, 2025
Character Council honors Dena Jones for diligence trait
Dena Jones, Regional Manager for Champion Hotels, received the Character Council of Edmond’s award recognizing her as Champion of Character for Diligence on earlier this year, at the Fairfield Inn. Visit Edmond Tourism Director, Jennifer Thornton nominated Dena for the honor and attended the presentation.
Also present for the brief ceremony were guests: Jodi Fetrow, Jayne Wagner, Imran Momin, Bhavik Patel and Character Council board members: Jim Hulsey, Diane Krakowski and Gloria Baumann.
In her nomination, Jennifer said, “Dena is diligent in the time she spends promoting Edmond as a destination as a regional sales director for Champion Hotels.”
Dena earned her Hotel and Restaurant degree at UCO. She and her husband Brady met when they were working at Doc’s Restaurant while both attended UCO. They married in 1998 and have a daughter, Mckenna.
During her college years Dena worked as a desk clerk for Marriott Hotels and developed a passion for tourism. In her current position with Champion Hotels, she oversees 14 properties throughout Oklahoma. She has also served on Visit Edmond's Tourism Advisory Board for 12 years and as chair for four years.
Jennifer said, “Dena works diligently to welcome visitors who spend the night in Edmond. In turn, these visitors shop, dine and play in Edmond and increase sales and lodging tax. This revenue helps fund city services, parks, new attractions and more so Edmond continues to be a great place to live.”
Dena said, “I’m proud of the city I live in. It’s a matter of where I'm from and what I like about my community. Edmond is a big, small town. If you don’t think it’s a good place to live, then it’s a good place to visit.”
Dena describes herself as a worker bee. Even though some consider her to be in tourism, she sees herself mostly in customer service. She concerns herself with providing special care to make a visitor’s stay in Edmond so enjoyable, they want to come back again.
Dena is an active member of First Presbyterian Church of Edmond and has taught Sunday School there for seven years. Her parents, Vicky and Bill Godding, raised Dena and her siblings in the Christian faith. Dena said, “My parents brought me up to have a good ethic and do everything to the best of my ability.”
Mrs. Godding said when Dena was growing up, she tended to hurry through her work. One day Dena was helping in the kitchen. She made a big salad, but the leafy greens were too large to eat. Mrs. Godding used the occasion to teach her daughter the difference between quantity and quality. Dena remade the salad, taking the time to cut the vegetables into bite sized pieces. Dena said, “My mom always taught me that quality was going to show my character more than rushing through my life.”
Due to the importance of diligence in her own life, Dena taught her daughter, Mckenna, “If you have pride in what you do, you will be able to succeed in life.”
Diligence has influenced Dena to set a high standard for herself. She focuses her energy on her work and does the job right. Jennifer said, “Dena’s diligence motivates tourism leaders to find new ways to welcome visitors. She is a dependable leader and makes it FUN to enjoy Edmond.”
On behalf of the City of Edmond and the Character Council of Edmond, Dena Jones was honored as a Champion of Character for exemplifying the character trait of diligence, defined by Character First as “focusing my effort on the work at hand.”
The Character Council is a grassroots, nonprofit organization committed to creating a citywide initiative to build Edmond into a "Community of Character."
The group believes that the character of a nation can only be strengthened one person at a time, one community at a time. Toward that end, the Character Council of Edmond seeks to recognize residents who demonstrate character, as witnessed by those who have been affected and influenced.
To nominate a citizen as a “Champion of Character,” one who exemplifies these character traits, visit www.edmondcharacter.org or write: Champions of Character, PO Box 392, Edmond OK 73083-0392.
Contact: Gloria Baumann (405) 317-9089
Gloria_Baumann@outlook.com
