José Oliva

Chief of Staff for Guilford County Schools

José Oliva is chief of staff for Guilford County Schools (GCS), the third largest school district in North Carolina and 50th largest in the nation. Serving nearly 70,000 PK-12 students and 10,000 employees, Oliva oversees the district’s strategic direction, organizational alignment, performance management, strategic communications, community engagement, equity initiatives, legislative affairs and philanthropy. In his role, Oliva acts as principal liaison and senior advisor to the superintendent and manages the superintendent’s cabinet operations. A proud GCS graduate, Oliva returned to GCS as deputy chief of staff in 2021 and was appointed chief of staff in the fall of 2022. Oliva is the first Latino to serve as chief of staff of a large urban district in North Carolina.