Jadihel Taveras

Advisory Board Member

Jadi is a first-generation Latino from Lawrence, Massachusetts. His background and history are very similar to Esperanza Academy students [as the majority are also Latino]. He obtained a scholarship to Kimball Union Academy in New Hampshire and received his baccalaureate degree from Siena College in 2008. While an undergraduate, he spent a semester attending Stellenbosch University in South Africa and taught in low-income communities of color. This experience, coupled with his family’s journey as immigrants from the Dominican Republic to Lawrence, sparked a passion and commitment to supporting and advocating for marginalized communities.

Upon graduation, Jadi spent a year as a Program Manager for the Foundation of Sustainable Development in Cochabamba, Bolivia working closely with indigenous migrants on issues related to economic sustainability. After several years of leading international development initiatives in Latin America and East Asia, he earned his master’s degree in Intercultural Leadership, Communication, and Management from SIT Graduate Institute in Brattleboro, Vermont. After serving as Associate Dean of Students at The Putney School in Vermont and Dean of Multicultural Education at The Governor’s Academy in Massachusetts Jadi became the Head of School at Esperanza Academy in 2018.

Jadi serves as a Trustee for The Lawrence Partnership, Kimball Union Academy, the Association of Independent Schools in New England, in addition to the Mariposa DR Foundation.