Central Falls Mayor-Elect Rivera Names Transition Team—And Priorities
Saturday, November 14, 2020
Central Falls Mayor-Elect Maria Rivera on Friday named her director and 13 members serving on her transition team.
The team will examine which policies and programs are of greatest importance to Central Falls, and how to best implement Mayor-elect Rivera’s bold agenda moving forward.
“I’m grateful for the leaders and professionals on my transition team who are volunteering their expertise and time to help guide my administration, ensuring our Central Falls families and small businesses are at the center of our efforts," said Rivera.
GET THE LATEST BREAKING NEWS HERE -- SIGN UP FOR GOLOCAL FREE DAILY EBLAST"I’m also grateful to Mayor Diossa for his support in allowing our team to begin our important work,” she added. “We have to keep our city moving forward, and we’re figuring out the most impactful ways to do that as we operate through today’s growing public health and economic crises.”
Transition Team
Rivera’s transition team is led by Dr. Ana Cristina Urena, with a background in law, criminal justice, and operations.
The full 14-member transition team includes:
Dr. Ana Cristina Urena (Transition Team Director) – Adjunct Professor, Roger Williams University
Marcela Betancour – Executive Director of the Latino Policy Institute
Anthony Roberson, Ed.D – Sergeant at the Providence Police Department
Dr. Pablo Rodriguez – President and CEO at Women’s Care, Inc.
Lesdin Salazar – Restorative Specialist at the Central Falls School District
Yvette Mendez – Chief of Staff at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services
Barbara Silvis – Former VP at FM Global, board member of the RI State Council of Churches, and Central Falls resident
Jahaira Rodriguez – Field Investigator, RI Department of Corrections and Central Falls resident
Toni Gomes – Executive Director at the Blackstone Valley Advocacy Center
Sarah Dell – Director at Advocacy Solutions
Manuela Raposo – Director of Student Placement and Registration at Providence Public Schools
Kevin Kazarian – Director of Operations at Spumoni’s Restaurant and Twelve Acres of Smithfield and Central Falls resident
Luis Aponte – Former Providence City Councilmember
Roger Suchite – Deputy District Director for Congressman David Cicilline
The transition team’s priorities include:
Reviewing the city's existing programs and organizational structure.
Establishing goals and objectives for each department and specific strategies to achieve the goals.
Identifying which programs are successful, which programs need to be strengthened, energized or otherwise revamped, and which may be inconsistent with the new administration's priorities.
Establish an anticipated timeline for completion.
Create short-term and intermediate benchmarks in order to measure progress.
Identify necessary resources to achieve the identified goals.
Rivera also announced the launch of her team’s new effort to encourage more Central Falls residents who would like to become more involved in their local government to apply for city positions, boards, and commissions. She has started accepting applications at www.mariarivera2020.com.
“We have incredible talent right here in Central Falls. We want to empower residents who would like to become more active in city government to apply for an employment or appointment opportunity,” said Rivera.
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