Senator Jonathon Acosta

Jonathon Acosta is a Democrat representing District 16 (Central Falls, Pawtucket) in the Rhode Island Senate.

A former member of the Central Falls City Council, Sen. Acosta was elected to the Senate on Nov. 3, 2020. His time in the legislature has included action on issues including law enforcement, education and health care.

He was the Senate sponsor of legislation to create a new statewide body-worn camera program for police, which was signed into law in 2021. He also introduced the Rishod K. Gore Justice in Policing Act of 2021, which sought a range of police reforms, and legislation seeking to bar private prisons in Rhode Island.

Sen. Acosta was the Senate sponsor of a law authorizing Central Falls to invest nearly $6 million in school repair and construction. He also introduced a bill that would prohibit discrimination against potential organ transplant recipients based solely on a physical or mental disability.

Sen. Acosta was born on Nov. 3, 1989. He and his partner, Aly Chatham, have two sons, Leon Ernesto Acosta-Chatham and Jonathon Andres Acosta-Chatham.

He earned Bachelor’s Degrees in Political Science (Theory) and Ethnic Studies, and Master’s Degrees in Urban Education Policy and Sociology from Brown University. He is currently working to earn a Ph.D. in Sociology at Brown. He previously worked as a middle school math teacher in Miami-Dade County, Florida, and Central Falls before becoming a school administrator.

In 2015, Sen. Acosta received recognition from the White House Initiative on Educational Excellence for Hispanics by the U.S. Department of Education. In 2016, he received the Latino Public Radio Community Champion Award.

Sen. Acosta is a member of the Central Falls Children’s Foundation, and he previously served on the Central Falls Juvenile Hearing Board. He has been involved in his community as a wrestling coach and earned the rank of Eagle Scout in Boy Scouting.​​​​​