Broad Alumni Spotlight: Jorge Robles (TBF 2023-24 & TBR 2013-15)

What’s your current organization and role? 
I work at Metro Nashville Public Schools and my role is Chief Financial Officer

What is something you’re currently working on that excites you in your professional role? 
There are a few exciting things I am currently working on with the team that are aligned with and in support of our mission of ensuring that every student in Metro Nashville Public Schools is known:

• Building on historic academic gains and the largest local education investment in our history, our focus is on sustaining momentum and expanding impact. Our current focus is on protecting and expanding high‑impact academic and student support services, while strengthening staff retention, maintaining competitive compensation, and ensuring long‑term financial sustainability. We are continuing to align resources more strategically to school needs to maximize classroom impact.
• We are currently advancing a logic‑model framework for budget development that uses an aspirational approach to center our mission of Every Student Known. This initiative anchors financial planning in outcomes and impact—focusing conversations on what is possible for students when resources are aligned to priorities, rather than on constraints alone. By clearly linking investments to intended results and strengthening how we evaluate their effectiveness, this work is helping us better prioritize resources, improve accountability, and ensure our budget reflects what matters most for student success.
• We are also working on developing a philanthropic strategy to provide reliable, sizable philanthropic funding streams that support strategic investments, allow for multi-year planning, and are complementary to existing funding streams and programs.

How has your experience as a Broad alum influenced the way you approach your work? 
It has been transformational in helping me grow as a strategic leader in public K-12 education, and it has been invaluable in my ability to connect with phenomenal leaders across the country to leverage as thought partners, learn from them, and collaborate when we may be engaged in similar challenges and/or initiatives. The Broad Center at Yale SOM has also been a tremendous source of support, from making connections with other leaders, to providing access to executive coaching and everything in between.

What is one thing your organization has been doing to increase equity for the students and communities you serve? 
We leverage data and analytics consistently and continuously through a well-established review process connected to school visits and classroom observations to ensure that we are closing equity gaps for our students, and that the resources are available and deployed immediately to address any situation where we are not meeting our goals. We also meet periodically with leaders in the communities we serve to assess the needs together and partner in putting in place supports and resources to close gaps.

What do you think school system leaders should be thinking more about right now? 
How to ensure that during this time of high uncertainty and changing demands, we can create the stability of supports and resources, both academic and wrap-around, for all the students that we serve, but in particular for those who are disproportionately impacted by policies and actions at the federal level as well as in some states. We need to continue to stay focus on the students we serve.

What has your experience been like first completing The Broad Residency in 2015, and almost 10 years later participating in The Broad Fellowship?
Completing the Broad Residency in 2013–15 was truly transformational. It gave me the tools and support to transition from the private sector into K-12 public education and begin making a meaningful impact. Most valuable was being part of an exceptional cohort—brilliant professionals and even better human beings—who became a lifelong support network.
Nearly a decade later, the Broad Fellowship met me at a different point in my leadership journey. It strengthened my ability to lead for equity at the systems level and expanded my thinking through world-class learning, especially with Yale SOM faculty. Once again, the cohort experience was the highlight—an inspiring group of senior leaders who challenged and supported me while becoming lasting peers and friends. Both experiences have been deeply impactful, shaping my growth both personally and professionally. I’m incredibly grateful for them.