Q&A with Mayor’s Communications Director – Josh Estrella

Along with being poised and well put together, Josh Estrella is also warm and approachable. His friends would describe him as “kind and trustworthy – but also driven.” When you take a look at his timeline – his rise from Rhode Island College to City Hall – you’ll understand why.

He graduated from RIC in 2016 with a double major in English and political science, and a minor in international nongovernmental organizations studies. He is now a member of one of the highest offices in the state. He is director of communications for Mayor Brett Smiley and the City of Providence.

Prior to that, he was press secretary for Mayor Smiley and the City of Providence (2023-2024), he managed external communications for the Office of the Health Insurance Commissioner (2019-2023) and was public relations coordinator for Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island (2016-2019).

While a student at RIC, he was a communications intern at United Way of Rhode Island, editor-in-chief of RIC’s student-run Anchor newspaper and class president.

Ultimately, within the span of nine years, Estrella has become the indispensable operative behind the public image and communication efforts of both government and nonprofit agencies. He is 31 years old.

Josh, you’ve accomplished a great deal. Where did the love for communication begin for you?

I always loved writing, but I only became comfortable with oral communication when I began working for the Anchor newspaper at RIC. One thing about the Anchor is you learn by fire. You join today and your deadline is tomorrow. [He laughs]

I started out as an opinions writer, then moved up to editor of lifestyle, then managing editor, where I had to manage large teams and run news meetings. I had to learn pretty quickly how to talk in front of a group. Interviewing people for articles helped me with interpersonal communication and with making professional connections.

As class president, I had to write and present the commencement speech. Talking in front of 10,000 people at “The Dunk” [the indoor arena now known as the Amica Mutual Pavilion in downtown Providence] has made every meeting I’ve given since less scary.

Is a director of communications basically a PR specialist?

Yes, I’d say so. Being director of communications, I manage not only the communications of the mayor’s office but of every department in the City of Providence. Any sort of written communication, whether it’s from the Tax Assessor or the Department of Public Works, goes through our office. 

As communications director, it’s my job to keep the mayor’s office transparent and to highlight our accomplishments. I’m very lucky to have an amazing team to help me do that. It’s our job to put Providence in the national spotlight, give people a reason to move here and to love our city as much as we do.

So, what’s it like working for the mayor?

When I first started, it was intimidating – and sometimes it still is. I think the best thing about working for this mayor is that he was a staffer before he became mayor. Having a principal who understands what your staff is going through means the world. He knows the kinds of deadlines we’re up against. He’s kind, supportive and empathetic. And he’s also just a funny guy – a side of him that a lot of people don’t get to see.

If the mayor started out as a staffer, is it possible that Josh Estrella, too, could become mayor some day?

I love local government. At one point, many years ago, when I ran for class president at RIC, I thought, “This is great.” I thought about running for office. But now I love being on the back end. I love being behind the scenes.

Part of your job involves helping to create the mayor’s public image. How do you keep your finger on the pulse of public perception?

From an operational standpoint, we do a lot of communication management. We’re in community meetings, we take community surveys. We build our priorities and investments based on surveys and community feedback.

From a communications standpoint, we monitor social media. Every morning, I read every news article I can about the City of Providence and, specifically, the mayor. My staff does this, as well. We’re listening to Spanish and English radio – all the major stations. And we come up with bullet points at the end of every week, noting the biggest trends we’re seeing in the media. If something stands out as inaccurate or that needs clarification, we’ll come up with a communication plan to address it.

A journalist once said a PR specialist makes flower arrangements of the facts, placing the wilted ones in back and the prettier ones in front. Would you say that’s accurate? 

I agree to a certain extent. There’s a certain degree of putting all of our achievements and major initiatives at the forefront, but there’s also a certain degree of just letting people know what’s going on. It’s my mission to make government as transparent and effective as possible.

What’s the most important skill a communications strategist could have?

The ability to deliver a message in the most concise way possible.

What makes for an effective spokesperson?

The ability to hone in on and understand your principal’s voice. I’ve worked for several different principals and they all speak in different ways. I’ve had principals who use a lot of anecdotes when they speak. I’ve had principals – like my current one – who loves data. So, understanding how they speak and what’s important to them is important.

You also have to be a communications advisor. I think a lot of people think that communications is just taking what your principal wants to say and putting it out there. It is, but it is also about knowing when to tell your principal, “This may not be the right time to say this,” or “Let’s say it in this way.”

Bill Gates once said, “If I was down to the last dollar of my marketing budget, I’d spend it on PR.” Why is PR so critical?

PR is critical because it’s what people see. Regardless of what you’re doing, it’s what people see that matters – how they see it, where they see it and if they see it at all. PR is one of the most important things any organization can do to express to the public how important their work is, how they’re helping people, how they’re pushing the needle in the right direction. There’s a lot of amazing work that gets done that no one knows about because there’s no communication plan. There’s organizations that aren’t recognized and elected officials who aren’t reelected because people didn’t know all the good work they were doing.

How did your education at Rhode Island College help prepare you for this role?

I think there’s something really, really special about Rhode Island College. Everyone I know who went to Rhode Island College was working two or three jobs while going to class and doing other things like internships. I had a full class schedule, I was working part time, I had an internship and I was editor of the newspaper. It was a school newspaper but I was putting in 50-plus hours every week. The people you meet at RIC are some of the hardest working people you’ll ever find. I think drive and work ethic are things you can’t teach in a classroom.

Ultimately, I credit Rhode Island College and the Anchor for all of my success in project management, time management, learning to write on deadline, manage staff and for learning how to talk to people. I had incredible professors. I had incredible classes. But it was honestly the Anchor and the other student organizations I was a part of that taught me how to be a professional.

This interview has been edited and condensed.

Learn more about majors in B.A. English and B.A. Political Science.