Rep. Cherie L. Cruz was elected to the Rhode Island House of Representatives in November 2022. She represents Pawtucket's Fairlawn and Woodlawn neighborhoods, where she was born and raised. She is a graduate of Brown University, with a Bachelor's degree in Education Studies Cum Laude and a Master's degree in Urban Education Policy as the Urban Education Policy Fellow. She also earned an Associate's degree with Highest Honors in Liberal Arts at the Community College of Rhode Island. Representative Cruz is a tenant organizer with ReclaimRI. Previously, she ran an early-childhood development program, Parents as Teachers, at CCAP through the Love That Baby program supported by the Rhode Island Department of Health. Representative Cruz is a certified CLC and CPRS. She currently serves on the Joint Commission on Reducing the Recidivism of Women. She has served as a board member of the RI Welcome Back Center, The Reentry Campus Program, and The Transcending Through Education Foundation, on the executive board of the RI American Civil Liberties Association, and is the co-founder of the Formerly Incarcerated Union of Rhode Island. In addition, her past public service includes appointments on the Rhode Island Special Education Advisory Committee and the RI Governor's Council on Behavioral Health.
