David de la Cruz

Tenure and Service

Awakening Church Evangelical Pastor David de la Cruz, the husband of Rhode Island State Senator Jessica de la Cruz (R-D-23), has served on the School Board since 2024.

David and his wife Jessica ran a podcast from 2021 to 2023 called “Church and State RI”, which covers politics, family, religion, and other issues for Rhode Island.

In The News

• July 9, 2026 TVB: David de la Cruz is noted to be currently serving as a member of the School Board.

• November 21, 2025 NRI: De la Cruz praised St. Jean's retirement announcement, saying "you've always acted in the best interest of the students and the district."

• November 19, 2025 NRI: De la Cruz commended NSMS's Special Olympics Unified Champion School honor, calling it a reminder that learning "is character formation and giving students confidence."

• July 8, 2025 NRI: De la Cruz was pictured (not quoted) at Glocester's Ancients & Horribles parade alongside his wife, Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz, identified as a "popular local Republican power couple."

• April 10, 2025 TVB: De la Cruz served as a volunteer judge for NSHS's We the People dress rehearsal ahead of the team's trip to nationals.

• March 27, 2025 TVB: De la Cruz backed making the athletic director position full-time, saying the district had "a championship-caliber school district in terms of athletics" that had gone "underfunded, underutilized" for too long.

• March 6, 2025 NRI: De la Cruz's early-2024 departure as chairman of the North Smithfield Republican Town Committee (to focus on his School Committee run) was cited as a contributing factor in the committee's leadership strain leading up to its eventual disbanding.

• January 30, 2025 TVB: De la Cruz, newly elected to the board, told students and staff "we're here for you" regarding any issues to bring to the School Committee.