Nirva R. LaFortune was a Providence City Council Member representing the city’s third ward and the first Haitian American to hold elective office in the state of Rhode Island. Councilwoman LaFortune served as the Vice Chair of the Special Committee on Education and on the City of Providence COVID-19 Recovery and Resiliency Task Force, and was a member of the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits and the Committee on the Charles V. Chapin Memorial Award.

Councilwoman LaFortune was also the Assistant Director of Scholars Programs and Diversity Initiatives at Brown University. Prior to returning to Providence, Councilwoman LaFortune was the Assistant Director for the Centers for Public Policy & Science Technology & Society at Drexel University.

Councilwoman LaFortune holds a B.A. in Communications from Temple University and a Masters in Urban Education Policy at Brown University. LaFortune has also championed affordable housing, support for minority and women-owned businesses, community development, prudent financial planning, and increasing transparency and community engagement in municipal affairs. She serves on the Board of Directors of the Sophia Academy and We the Village, and on advisory committees for the Eastside YMCA and East Side Community Alliance. She is the mother of two incredible young people and is an avid runner.