Photo by ELIZABETH A. MUNDSCHENK Valerie Jones, senior vice president, Fiber Instrument Sales. Portrait done at the #3 Mill in New York Mills on Monday, September 10, 2001.

By MARY MARCHIO
Observer-Dispatch

The abstract prints that hang on Valerie Jones’ office walls are as colorful and energetic as Jones.

As senior vice president of Fiber Instrument Sales Inc., Jones, 31, oversees sales and marketing for the fiber-optic manufacturing and distribution company.

“I enjoy new challenges,” Jones, of Utica, said. “I never make a big deal about what is put in front of me.”

Her job gives her the opportunity to travel around the United States and abroad to share information about Fiber Instrument Sales and experience other cultures, she said.

Jones also finds time to involve herself in community activities.

She chairs the Young Leaders United committee, a leadership effort of the United Way of the Greater Utica Area for people between the ages of 20 and 45 committed to building a better community through charitable giving and volunteer involvement.

Jones also is the second vice president of Expressions. The group helps make the arts accessible to young adults through parties and dinner dances, gallery openings, concerts, after-hours gatherings and volunteering.

“It’s great to work with other young professionals and get to know the community,” Jones said.

Jones was raised a Roman Catholic but has an appreciation for different religions and likes to learn more about other religious groups and sects.

When she attended Notre Dame High School, she planned on becoming a lawyer, but her career aspirations changed when she was a student at Niagara University where she majored in political science and international studies.

Her father, Frank Giotto, president and founder of Fiber Instrument Sales, asked her seven years ago to take over domestic sales for the company.

That sales position turned into creating an international sales department, and then her promotion to senior vice president.

“I’ve learned so much from my father. ... I really enjoy working with him,” Jones said.

United Way Campaign Director Kelly Karrat said she nominated Jones for the Accent on Excellence award because of her “dynamic” personality and dedication to her career and community.

“She is truly committed to the area and is truly an exemplary person,” Karrat said.