Jake Oliveira is the great-grandson of immigrants from Portugal and Poland who settled in Ludlow, Springfield, and Palmer. They worked in the Ludlow Mills and built strong roots in Western Massachusetts. Growing up, Jake’s dad Rich worked in management for an engineering company, and his mom Carol worked as a secretary and was a member of the Teamsters union. Jake’s dad was laid off when Jake was 8 years old, and he returned to school to become a teacher. While those times weren’t easy for his family, they survived by sticking to the values of family, community, and hard work. Jake’s dad became a Math teacher and went on to teach at Palmer and Ludlow High Schools. Jake was educated entirely through the public education system. He is a third-generation Ludlow High School graduate (Class of ‘04) and an alumnus of Framingham State University. While at Framingham State, Oliveira served three years as an elected member of the campus Board of Trustees. He was a student member of the Massachusetts Board of Higher Education, which sets policy for the state’s colleges and universities. As a student leader, Jake was a founding member of PHENOM - the Public Higher Education Network of Massachusetts, which advocates for higher education at the State House. Jake was elected to the Ludlow School Committee in 2009 and served on the body for 12 years. He has distinguished himself as a fierce advocate for public education. He has persistently fought for educational equity. He also serves as Ludlow’s representative to the Lower Pioneer Valley Educational Collaborative, which provides the district’s vocational programs and student transportation for seven school districts. In 2016, Jake was elected the youngest-ever President of the Massachusetts Association of School Committees. As President, Jake partnered with school committee members across Massachusetts to lead the fight against expanding charter schools without local approval. Jake was a member of the Governor’s Local Government Advisory Committee, meeting monthly with the Governor or Lieutenant Governor to discuss issues impacting cities and towns in Massachusetts. At the national level, Oliveira has represented the eleven Northeastern states on the National School Boards Association’s board of directors since 2015. Through these roles, Jake has become a leader at the local, regional, state, and national levels. In his professional career, Jake served as the Assistant Executive Officer of the Massachusetts State Universities Council of Presidents, representing the interests of the nine state universities. While at the Council of Presidents, Jake helped implement the legislative strategy that changed the name of seven of the then-state colleges to state universities.
Jake understands the workings and power dynamics of the State House. Early in his career, he served as budget director for Michael Rodrigues, who is now the Chair of the Senate Ways & Means Committee. Jake chaired the Ludlow Democratic Town Committee for over 10 years and served as an elected Ludlow Town Meeting member (2005-2009). He is also a former eighth-grade CCD teacher. Jake lives on East Street in Ludlow, next door to his grandmother Lena Oliveira.
