By Associated Press
PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) — Former Providence Mayor Jorge Elorza has been named chief executive officer of the political advocacy organization Democrats for Education Reform.
The Washington, D.C. organization said Elorza — mayor from 2015 until this year — was hired based on his accomplishments leading the state’s largest city, including “taking the unprecedented step to engage the state Department of Education to turn around the city’s chronically underperforming school system,” creating the Eat, Play, Learn Initiative to expand out-of-school enrichment, and launching the African American Ambassador Group to bring Black leaders into policymaking.
He also invested $400 million to repair crumbling school buildings, the organization said.
“As mayor, I saw all too well the critical need for bold leadership to transform public education so that it serves all students — particularly those historically marginalized,” Elorza said in a statement. “DFER has been at the forefront of the fight against the status quo in public education for more than a decade, and I am honored to serve this organization at a time of both incredible urgency and possibility for our nation’s students.”
Elorza, the son of immigrants, was born and raised in Providence, earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Rhode Island and a law degree from Harvard Law School.
