Councilor Juan M. Pichardo represents Ward 9, which includes the Elmwood, South Elmwood, and Roger Williams Park neighborhoods. He served as a state senator from 2003 until 2017. He served as a member of the RI Air National Guard from 1988 until 2010, retiring at the rank of Master Sergeant.

He currently serves as the President Pro Tempore of the City Council and is the chairperson of the Special Committee on Health, Opportunity, Prosperity, and Education. He also chairs the Special Commission on veterans Affairs and is a member of the Committee on Claims and Pending Suits, the Committee on Urban Redevelopment Renewal and Planning, the Committee on Ward Boundaries, and the Rules Committee. Pichardo is also a member of the Providence Water Supply Board and the Providence Board of Parks Commissioners.

He was born in Santiago and raised in the city of Jicome, Valverde, Dominican Republic until the age of 9. He attended public school P.S 115 in New York City, Providence’s Gilbert Stuart Middle School and Mount Pleasant High. He is a graduate of Community College of RI, Rhode Island College, the Providence Civic Entrepreneur initiative, and Leadership RI. Pichardo is the co-founder of Quisqueya in Action and The RI Latino PAC. He is married to Janet and is the father of three children and three grandchildren.

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