About
Anna Cano-Morales joined the Economic Progress Institute Board in October 2022.
Anna Cano Morales, Vice President for External Relations and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Rhode Island College is responsible for leading the Rhode Island College campus community in engaged work towards a more inclusive, diverse, and equitable institution to include overseeing the Institutional Equity Office which includes Title IX, Affirmative Action, and RIC Disability Services Center. In addition, Cano-Morales leads the RIC Alumni Affairs office and College Events and Engagement office.
Anna has executed a well-rounded and generalist career in public service. In previous positions as Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute at Roger Williams University and Associate Vice President for Grants and Programs for the Rhode Island Foundation, Cano Morales has over twenty-five years of experience working in nonprofit, education and government settings where she has been busy leading initiatives, programs and policy development that promote a collective culture of equity and well-being for Rhode Islanders which extends to their communities. Anna has used advocacy, research and data analysis on Latinos, education, housing, and critical quality of life issues that has led to policy changes in RI. Anna’s earlier career in social work focused on public and community health that included addiction treatment, behavioral health, HIV and infectious disease interventions, as well as maternal and child health.
Cano Morales has served on several state and nonprofit boards, including the University of Rhode Island Foundation, the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee, the International Charter School, Community Preparatory School, and the Rhode Island Board of Regents for Elementary and Secondary Education, among others. She has also sat on numerous task forces and councils in service of Mayoral and Governor transition teams, the Rhode Island Foundation special initiatives and corporate philanthropy. She Chaired the Central Falls School District Board of Trustees from 2007-2019.
For six years Anna served as a Senior Fellow for the Institute for Nonprofits Institute where she coached and facilitated in the Core Certificate Program. This program equips nonprofit, public, and social impact leaders with skills, knowledge and networks they need to make strategic mission-driven decisions that center DEIJ change in their leadership and career journey.
Cano Morales earned a Bachelor of Science in human development, counseling, and family studies with a minor in Latin American Literature Studies from the University of Rhode Island –proud graduate of the Talent Development Program at URI, and a Master of Social Work from Rhode Island College. Anna is a mother of two sons, a spouse, and a sibling to a large extended family with deep roots in Blackstone Valley region of the state, specifically, Central Falls and Pawtucket. Anna is a mentor, a listener, and a sponsor of new generation of leaders.
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