Jacob Xavier

Jacob Xavier is a data-driven project leader who believes in the quiet power of service, the kind that happens behind the scenes, in school board meetings, regulatory audits, and gnarly spreadsheets reviewed over many cups of coffee. He has spent a decade in schools serving low-income communities in Ecuador, India, and, since 2017, in Newark and Brooklyn, where—in founding roles—he led charter renewal and compliance oversight through periods of significant organizational change. He has advised board members, coached nonprofit leaders, and rebuilt trust with local and state regulators, using data as a bridge to connect, and communicating numbers with a human touch.

Jacob approaches leadership as an act of alignment: an attempt to bring people together for a shared purpose. As a public narrative coach at the Harvard Kennedy School, a community mediator at Harvard Law School, and a tango instructor in New York City, he helps individuals find rhythm, create harmony, and move together as one community.

Initial Fellowship Focus: The fellow will help build Peoria’s capabilities to collaborate with stakeholders at the local and state levels in pursuit of an increase in the inventory of safe, quality housing, priced at levels middle-income earners can afford.