Mayor Jorge O. Elorza was born in Providence and grew up in the city’s West End. Taking office as the 38^th Mayor of Providence in January 2015, Mayor Elorza led with a forward-thinking vision for a very different city than the one he grew up in.

Mayor Elorza began this reformative work instituting a people-centered approach in every aspect of city work. In addressing a backlog of nearly 3,000 constituent cases, Mayor Elorza established his commitment to providing best-in-class city service by treating residents as customers. Deficits, which had been the result of poor foresight and planning, were corrected, the city built a real rainy-day fund, and its credit rating improved.

The “New” Providence is built upon the shared values of its residents: honesty, integrity, professionalism, and optimism for what the future has in store. It is a place known for being open-minded in the way it plans and forward-thinking in the way it invests. A place that is compassionate and inclusive in the way that it treats folks and a place that believes most of all in its people.

In 2023, upon the end of his time in office, Elorza was named President and CEO of Democrats for Education Reform.