Jorge Elorza

Jorge Elorza is Chief Executive Officer of Democrats for Education Reform. He is one of the most prominent Democratic voices in the country calling on the party to embrace an abundance reform agenda built on accountability, innovation, and choice. He took the helm at DFER in 2023, bringing a record of bold, outcomes-focused leadership and a deep conviction that every child—regardless of ZIP code, income or background—deserves access to an excellent education and the opportunity to thrive. 

Before leading DFER, he served two terms as mayor of Providence, Rhode Island, where he earned a reputation as a pragmatic progressive willing to challenge entrenched systems in pursuit of better results for families. As mayor, he undertook bold actions to advance a social and racial justice agenda. This included taking the unprecedented step to engage the state Department of Education to turn around the city’s chronically underperforming school system,

creating the city’s Eat, Play, Learn Initiative to expand out-of-school enrichment, and launching a nationally recognized African American Ambassador Group to bring Black leaders into the center of policymaking. Notably, he invested $400 million into repairing school buildings, and supported the expansion of high-quality public charter schools.

Born and raised in Providence, Mayor Elorza is a graduate of Classical High school, the University of Rhode Island, and Harvard Law School. Prior to being elected mayor, he was a legal aid attorney, he served as a Providence Housing Court Judge, and he co-founded the Latino Policy Institute while he served as a professor at Roger Williams University School of Law. Jorge lives with his wife, Stephanie, and his son, Omar, in the Silver Lake neighborhood of Providence.