Jackie Elward is a lifelong educator and Rohnert Park City Councilmember who has spent her entire public service career uplifting the voices of teachers, workers, and community members on the issues that are most important to the North Bay.

Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she met her husband in 2001 in Kinshasa. A few years later, they came to the United States to start a family.

As an educator at Santa Rosa French Immersion school, Jackie started her public service career teaching and organizing fellow instructors through her role as the site representative for the California School Employees Association, Local 75. Her leadership and work helped educators gain a stronger voice in the workplace.

In 2020, Jackie became the first Black woman ever elected to the Rohnert Park City Council. During her tenure on the Council and as Mayor, Jackie has delivered results on the North Bay’s most important and pressing issues by implementing new regional climate and environmental justice plans, increasing access to renewable energy programs to reduce reliance on corporate utility companies, securing greater investment in wildfire prevention projects, expanding access to mental health crisis services, passing police accountability measures, reducing homelessness, all while maintaining a balanced budget.

In 2022, Jackie was named “Woman of the Year” by Assemblymember Cecilia Aguiar-Curry in recognition of her strong and collaborative leadership on the Council to help lead the city through the height of the COVID-19 pandemic and to innovate a first-of-a-kind solution to its city’s unhoused population; this solution has been adopted by other agencies

Jackie has also played a pivotal role on regional North Bay issues by serving on the Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association of Sonoma County, Sonoma County Transportation Authority/ Regional Climate Protection Authority, and Sonoma Clean Power.

Jackie graduated from Chico State University with a Bachelor’s degree in Sociology and earned a Bachelor’s of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Central State University. Jackie lives with her husband in Sonoma County where they are raising three children. Jackie also speaks six languages. 

Background

  • Rohnert Park City Councilwoman and Former Mayor
  • Director, Sonoma Clean Power (responsible for community choice clean energy in Sonoma County)
  • Director, Sonoma County Continuum of Care (responsible for homelessness services in Sonoma County)
  • Member, Executive Board of North Bay Jobs with Justice
  • Member, Sonoma County Democratic Party Executive Committee
  • A Leader in the campaign to pass Measure B in Rohnert Park, establishing an urban limit to prevent sprawl and protect open space and agriculture
  • North Bay Division, LOCC, Executive Board
  • Former Member, Santa Rosa SRFACS School Advisory Board
  • Site Representative, California School Employees Association Local Union 75
  • Volunteer, Redwood Empire Food Bank
  • Serve on:
    • Sonoma County Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority as an alternate
    • Santa Rosa Plain Groundwater Sustainability Agency as an alternate 
  • BS in Sociology from Chico State University, BS in Criminal Justice from Central State University