Born and raised in Hudson County, NJ, Jorge was introduced to an environment of diversity, cultural awareness, and political activism. This early exposure laid the foundation for a prosperous career in education, politics, and organizational management.
Jorge earned a Bachelors of Science from Rutgers College, Rutgers University – New Brunswick in 1995, and a Masters degree from Kean University in Educational Leadership in 2006.
His passion and advocacy in reaching youth through educational means has always been Jorge’s goal. He began his teaching career as a Technology Teacher/Specialist at the Christopher Columbus Middle School in Union City, the same school visited by former President Clinton, former Commissioner of Education David Hespe, and many administrators from across the country and abroad for its excellence in technology integration and innovation.
In 2006, he was hired by the New Brunswick Board of Education to serve as Principal of Roosevelt Elementary School, where he transformed the school from a School in Need of Improvement to one of the top performing schools in the district. In 2015, Jorge was promoted to serve as the Principal of New Brunswick High School. During his two years at the high school, he led the creation of the Freshman Academy and strengthened the themed academies, lowering chronic absenteeism and raising the graduation rate.
In 2017, Jorge was hired by the South Amboy Board of Education to serve as the Superintendent of schools and spent five years leading the prek-12 district to significant increases in every metric by which school districts are measured: He successfully coordinated the district’s NJQSAC monitoring process, achieving passing scores in all five areas, and designated a “High Performing School District” for the first time in over 10 years; Increased the Middle School Student Growth Percentile (SGP, scale 1-4) from 1.2 in 2017 to 2.8 in 2019; Decreased Chronic Absenteeism from 18.3% in 2017 to 6.7% in 2020 (state average 10%); Increased the high school graduation rate from 85.9% in 2017 to 98%in 2020; Developed four in-district special education programs (PSD, BD, Middle School, and High School Life-Skills), bringing back out-of-district placements, while saving the district over 2 million in tuition and transportations costs; Sought and received $300,000 in grant funding to establish a one-to-one student Chromebook initiative. In 2022, Jorge was selected as the County Superintendent of the Year by the Middlesex County Association of School Administrators.
In April of 2022, Jorge was selected during a national superintendent search by the Middlesex County Board of Commissioners and Board of Education to serve as the Superintendent of the Middlesex County Vocational and Technical Schools. Jorge has led the rebranding initiative for the county schools now known as the Middlesex County Magnet Schools, raising awareness of the unique programs available to county residents. Applications for enrollment have increased at unprecedented rates. Two of the five campuses have been ranked #1 and #4 among all New Jersey state high schools, and #23 and #69 nationally among 18,000 schools. In 2023, under Jorge’s leadership, the district was recognized by the New Jersey Department of Education as a Lighthouse District, an award granted to only five school districts statewide every two years. In addition, the district won two state-wide communications awards through the NJ School Public Relations Association in the Newsletter and Brand, Image, & Marketing categories, the only district to win two of the eight awards. In 2023, Jorge was nominated and elected by his peers to serve as the President of the Middlesex County Association of School Administrators, representing the 26 superintendents in the county.
In his community, Jorge serves as a seven-term councilman (2004 to present), chairing the Finance and Administration committee and having served as the Council President/Deputy Mayor for three terms. He also serves as a member of the Planning Board and as the Vice President of the Library Board of Trustees.
Jorge’s service to the community also expands beyond the borders of Carteret. He serves on the executive committee of the New Jersey Association of School Administrators (NJASA), the New Jersey State Interscholastic Athletic Association (NJSIAA), the New Jersey Association of Latino Administrators and Superintendents (NJALAS), and served as the Secretary of the NAACP Perth Amboy Area Branch. As a Past National President, Jorge remains active within his fraternity as a member of the Board of Trustees and Chairman of the Foundation for Lambda Theta Phi Latin Fraternity, Inc. He is the founder of the Carteret LatinFest, a festival dedicated to celebrating the culture of Latino residents since 2012. The festival has grown to be one of the largest Latino festivals in New Jersey.
Jorge is married to Rosa Diaz. They have two children, Cristian and Karina.