Jesus Jara

Dr. Jesús Jara has a lifelong passion for creating better opportunities for all
children through education. That passion has roots in his own childhood, having
moved from Venezuela to Miami. As an English Language Learner, Dr. Jara faced
many obstacles and challenges as he acclimated to the United States; however,
his teachers were compassionate, inclusive and set high expectations for all
students. They were a critical factor in his success.

Dr. Jara has been serving public school students for over 20 years. He previously
served as the deputy superintendent for Orange County Public Schools in Florida
for six years. As deputy superintendent, he functioned as the superintendent’s
designee. With his assistance, Orlando's achievement gap narrowed faster than 90 percent of major cities across the United States, according to Education Quality Index.