Born in Palmeirinha, a village in the municipality of Aiquara, to Zeferino Rodrigues, a farmer, and Maria Cerqueira, a seamstress, Jerônimo attended public school in Jequié and received a masters degree in rural development from the Federal University of Bahia in 1991.[5]
Bureaucratic career
Academic career
Jerônimo was accepted to a graduate program at the State University of Feira de Santana. He taught several subjects to undergraduates including Economic Sciences, Accounting Sciences, Law, Administration and Geography. After finishing graduate school, he returned to Aiquara where he was professor at the Colégio Municipal Américo Souto and an advisor to the mayor in agricultural planning. During this period, through student movements, he began to be affiliated with the Workers' Party largely in opposition to the 'Carlism' of Antônio Carlos Magalhães.[5]
Jerônimo, after participating in his campaign for governor, was appointed by Jaques Wagner an advisor to the Secretariat of Science, Technology and Innovation of Bahia in 2007, before becoming a member of the strategic division of the Secretariat of Planning.[5]
National career
After the success of his work and his experience in agricultural economics, he was recommended by Wagner to Dilma Rousseff who appointed him to various agricultural and planning positions, serving as National Secretary for Territorial Development, special advisor to the Ministry of Agrarian Development, executive secretary of the Pro Territories/Cumbre Ibero-American Program and executive secretary of the National Council for Sustainable Rural Development.[5]
State secretariats
After coordinating Rui Costa's campaign for governor, Jerônimo helped create the Secretariat of Rural Development, which he headed from 2015-2018. After coordinating Costa's landslide reelection, he was appointed Secretary of Education.[5]
Secretary of Education
As one of the main state secretaries of the new PT administration, Jerônimo had carte blanche to carry out an investment of R$3.5 billion in public schools. His management focused on offering thousands of vacancies in vocational courses through the Educar para Trabalho program.[5]
During the Covid-19 pandemic, amidst the children's learning difficulties, the secretary created two programs to combat school dropout: the Bolsa-Presença, which offered monthly aid of 150 reals to families of students from the state education network ,and Mais Futuro, whose objective was to keep young people in the university with financial support. It also implemented the Student Food Voucher and Mais Estudos.[5]
Map of the gubernatorial election, Rodrigues in red, Neto in blue
Jerônimo had the problem of introducing himself to Bahia, as he had largely been a hiden political actor. Slowly gaining in the polls against the former mayor of SalvadorACM Neto, Jerônimo combined support for Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva in the 2022 Brazilian presidential election with generally rural Catholic support for the PT.[6] Some pointed to a two rallies with Lula as a tipping point in public support after Neto's race scandals.[7]
Winning close to 50% in the first round, Jerônimo's victory was considered an upset. He beat Neto in the second round.[1][8]
Personal life
Jerônimo is married to Tatiana Velloso, a professor at Federal University of Recôncavo Baiano, and has one son.[8]
Jerônimo is self declared indigenous and Catholic.[5]
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