The Jacksonville Civic Council announced Dec. 2 that Connor Oswald will lead research for the nonprofit organization.
The Civic Council, founded in 2010, says it comprises more than 90 CEOs in Northeast Florida. The group says it “drives change by researching the city’s most pressing challenges, advocating for forward-thinking public policy, and powering strategic execution.”
“Our vision to elevate Jacksonville to a world-class city relies on our understanding of where we are today and what strategic levers we need to engage to move our city forward,” Dennis Whittle, CEO and president of Jacksonville Civic Council, said in a news release.
A product of Duval County Public Schools, Oswald received a Ph.D. in education policy and evaluation from Florida State University. He also holds a master’s in teaching from the University of North Florida and a bachelor’s in physics and astrophysics from FSU. He is pursuing an executive master of public policy at Jacksonville University.
“I am honored to join the Jacksonville Civic Council team and work alongside such respected civic leaders and innovators. Applying my training, skills and experience to this transformative work for the city of love is really a dream come true,” Oswald said in the release.
Oswald was formerly senior manager of data and research at the Jacksonville Public Education Fund, leading studies on literacy, teacher retention and program evaluation. His earlier experience includes roles with the Orange County Public Schools and the Texas Education Agency.
He is also the founder of TRIDENT—Transformative Research in Impact, Data, Evaluation and Nonprofit Transparency— a subscription-based research and evaluation institute to support nonprofit evaluation capacity in Northeast Florida.
In September, the Civic Council issued a letter opposing a property tax cut in the Jacksonville city budget that was pursued by Council members. The cut was later approved.
For more information, visit jaxciviccouncil.com.