Jackie Elward is a Rohnert Park Councilwoman, educator, and labor organizer who immigrated to America for a better life and wound up making her community better.

Born and raised in the Democratic Republic of the Congo, she met her husband in 2000 in Kinshasa. A few years later, they came to the United States to start a family.

Jackie rose to the challenges of adapting to a new culture by volunteering and starting a new community for herself. Whether it was at church, supporting a local organization, or simply participating in community activities; finding a way to give back paved the way for Jackie to get started in politics and community service.

She also founded Les Enfants Baobab in 2015, a non-profit that supports children in Kinshasa providing them with a home, clothing, and schooling.

Jackie became the first Black woman elected to the Rohnert Park Council in 2020 by defeating a six-term incumbent. During her tenure on the Council and as Mayor, Jackie has focused on building more homes that Rohnert Park residents can afford, helping the unhoused get off the streets, expanding access to open space and parks, improving water quality and efficiency, and making public investments in transportation, sustainable agriculture, and clean energy, all while maintaining a balanced budget.

Jackie long served as an educator at the French immersion school in the Santa Rosa City Schools District and is a proud member and the site representative of California School Employees Association, Local 75.

Jackie also concentrated on regional issues by serving on the Mayors’ and Councilmembers’ Association of Sonoma County, Sonoma County Transportation Authority/Regional Climate Protection Authority, and Sonoma Clean Power.

For her efforts to keep Rohnert Park safe during the unprecedented challenges of the COVID pandemic, Assemblymember Aguiar-Curry named Jackie the 2022 Woman of the Year.

Jackie graduated from Chico State University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Sociology and earned a Bachelor of Science degree in Criminal Justice from Central State University.

Jackie and her husband are raising three kids in Sonoma County. All three are bilingual in French and English, Jackie 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, Excutive  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