Velena Jones is an award-winning reporter for NBC Bay Area’s weekday newscasts, covering Oakland and the East Bay. Born and raised in Concord, she now reports on the communities where she grew up. A lifelong Bay Area sports fan, she loves the Golden State Warriors and has cheered for both the Oakland A's and the San Francisco Giants.

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Before joining NBC Bay Area, Velena was a reporter and fill-in anchor at CBS Sacramento. There, she covered major events, including historic wildfires, the 2022 mass shooting in downtown Sacramento, and a tragic church shooting. She also produced special projects highlighting community members' efforts to unify the region.

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Velena’s previous roles include reporting and fill-in anchoring in Portland, Oregon, and Madison, Wisconsin. In Portland, she covered significant protests, such as the anti-ICE demonstration that shut down a building for days. In Wisconsin, she reported on key stories like police protests and interviewed a University of Wisconsin student charged with multiple sexual assaults. Velena was the first reporter to secure an exclusive jail interview with Joseph Jakubowski, who led authorities on a 10-day nationwide manhunt. Her coverage of the Tony Robinson shooting in Madison earned her a Midwest Regional Emmy.

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As the main anchor and reporter at WBKB in Alpena, Michigan, Velena hosted a weekly newsmagazine on local and state issues, winning a Michigan Broadcasting Award for her show, "Insights into Northern Michigan." She began her career as a news assistant and traffic producer at KABC7 in Los Angeles, where she covered significant events like the 25th anniversary of the LA riots and the Conrad Murray trial.

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Velena holds a bachelor’s degree in broadcast journalism from Biola University in Southern California. In her free time, she enjoys hiking, yoga, paddleboarding, exploring wineries and restaurants, and is an active member of the National Association of Black Journalists.