PROVIDENCE – Elsa Duré has been named CEO of the Rhode Island Mayoral Academies, effective last week.
Duré, former chief of policy and expansion at RIMA, replaces Michael Magee, now CEO at Chiefs for Change, a national nonprofit organization.
She described herself as a daughter of immigrants and as an English-language learner who grew up in an urban community.
“The truth is that it’s rare for a child who looks like me and is defined like me to thrive, because our systems and structures are not always able to meet their needs. I succeeded by chance, when I should have succeeded by design,” Duré said in a statement. “My passion in life is ensuring that more children succeed by design. RIMA is well-positioned to help make that happen.”
The nonprofit organization has helped launch regional public schools of choice with mayor-led boards that will serve 2,000 students from racially and socioeconomically diverse backgrounds this fall.
Duré holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology and a master’s degree in urban-education policy from Brown University. •
