Community impact is so deeply woven into Cal Jones’s professional and personal life that it’s hard to tell where one ends and the other begins. This is entirely on purpose for someone who lives life intentionally shaped around giving back, like Cal's, First Foundation Advisors Managing Director of Fixed Income.
Cal didn’t stumble into community service. He grew up around it. His mother worked at a retirement home, and that early exposure- watching her show up for those who needed care – never left him. By early adulthood he was showing up to give back on his own. He started with Impacting Hearts a Los Angeles, CA based nonprofit that mentored young teens throughout the early 2000’s. It’s also where he met his wife. Two people who shared the same values and mission. When they relocated to Hawaii, that commitment came with them.
Now based in Honolulu, HI, Cal serves on the boards of three organizations: Common Grace, Lanakila Pacific, and the CFA Society of Hawaii – somewhere between 15-20 hours a month. He’s not just showing up at events or fundraisers, Cal is in the room where the financial decisions are being made. He sits on the investment and fundraising committees, doing exactly what he does at First Foundation every day.
And he will tell you plainly why that matters: “These organizations don’t have the institutional knowledge of who to reach out to that can offer help – or they’re so overwhelmed with everything else they are doing to fulfil their mission that they don’t have time to breathe. So being able to help them out where I can – that’s very fulfilling.”
As federal funding continues to shrink, nonprofits are being forced to rethink how they raise, manage, and sustain their resources. Cal’s experience in investment oversight, financial planning, and fundraising strategy allows him to step into these challenges and deliver immediate, practical value. He connects the dots between his day job and his board work without missing a beat: “If we can grow an individual’s money a little bit more, that allows them to have just a little bit more impact in the community. And that all starts with a mission.”
In addition to his board service, Cal teaches at Hawai’i Pacific University, helping students build financial knowledge and confidence through education. He recognizes that the demand for financial literacy and investment education extends far beyond the classroom—and is especially critical in Hawaii, where the rising cost of living continues to push residents to difficult decisions about staying or leaving. For Cal, teaching is about more than numbers; it’s about investing in people and ensuring that talent and Native Hawaiians can continue to thrive in their home communities.
At home, Cal and his wife are raising two boys, ages five and three, with the same values they were both raised by. “Community service is not an individual thing; it’s a family thing.” He’s already thinking about what that looks like as his boys grow up. “Lead by example, lead by doing, and then lead through involvement. Being exposed at an early age – it just becomes part of your ethos.”
Through teaching, board leadership, and professional mentorship with the CFA Society of Hawaii, Cal is part of a broader network working to strengthen Hawaii’s financial ecosystem. Cal demonstrates how professional skills—when shared intentionally—can become powerful tools for community impact.
