Jorge Rodríguez V, Ph.D.

I grew up in an affordable housing complex outside of Hartford, Connecticut. Born to Puerto Rican migrants in a diverse, poor, and working-class community, I saw firsthand what happens when institutions abdicate their responsibility to care for the poor. Yet I also witnessed the beautiful potential of communities coming together to care for one another and imagine new systems into existence. It was in my parents' living room, watching Dad put together budgets for the school cafeteria where he worked, that I first learned about administration. It was under the tutelage of my mother, who was a Family Advocate for Head Start, that I got my first lessons in movement building and social change.In my own professional life, I have bridged academia, non-profit leadership, public scholarship, and social justice movements, blending scholarly rigor and practical expertise to drive institutional growth and mission-driven change. With a Ph.D. in History of Religion and a specialization in social movements, I have found ways to apply scholarly insight to strategic executive administration. Over the last ten years, I have created systems to empower leaders who can use the tools of religion, theology, and ethics to build community and new systems of care.