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Marianne Raimondo Joins CCRI Leadership, Building on RIC Legacy

Published in RINewsToday on February 23, 2026

On February 6, Rhode Island College’s (RIC) business dean gathered with three dozen colleagues, family members, and friends at The Village at Waterman Lake, for a farewell celebration marking the close of one chapter and the beginning of another

In a LinkedIn post, Marianne Raimondo, MS, MSW, LICSW, Ph.D., reflected on that evening, recalling the shared memories, warm embraces, and heartfelt goodbyes.

She announced, “On Monday, I embark on a new journey as Vice President of Academic Affairs at the Community College of Rhode Island (CCRI). I am excited to work with the CCRI team and continue to serve the students of our state, offering an outstanding educational experience and a bright future.”

Her message signaled both a fond farewell to RIC and the start of an exciting new phase in her academic career.

Taking on a New Leadership Role

After more than 12 years at the Providence-based college, Raimondo leaves RIC, which enrolls more than 6,500 students, to join CCRI, a community college with enrollment close to 13,000 across 4 campuses in degree and certificate programs, and an additional 8,500 students in workforce and adult education courses.

As CCRI’s Vice President for Academic Affairs, Raimondo will serve as the college’s chief academic officer, collaborating closely with academic deans, administrators, and faculty to oversee educational programs, ensure instructional quality, and advance the college’s strategic and academic master plans.

Just a week into her new role which began Feb. 9, Raimondo has outlined an action-oriented vision for CCRI. When asked how she plans to support student success at the large, multi-campus college, Raimondo said, “I believe in the joy of learning, and we will ensure our teaching is inspiring, motivating, and engaging, fostering a desire for lifelong learning.”

Recognizing that access remains a challenge, she called for programs that better fit students’ schedules, including high-quality online offerings and flexible scheduling. She also emphasized experiential, project-based learning to equip students with real-world skills.

“Higher education must align with the state’s workforce and economic needs to provide students with viable career paths,” Raimondo said, pointing to a growing demand for skills in the areas such as artificial intelligence and the need to design programs responsive to employer needs.

Raimondo also sees an opportunity to integrate her advocacy for older adults into her professional role by creating internships and shaping curriculum around age-related issues.

CCRI’s new chief academic officer stressed her commitment to closing equity gaps to ensure all students have access to education and sustainable career pathways.

“Caring for, supporting, and advocating for older adults remains a passion of mine,” said Raimondo. The commitment is personal as well as professional: she recalled growing up with her grandfather, who lived with her family for more than 20 years. When her grandmother passed away, she said, there was never any question that he would move in with them.

As a medical social worker, she later saw too many older adults without family support, living alone, or lacking the resources they needed to age in place.

“I truly believe the later years of life should be respected and honored, and that older adults deserve the support they need to live well,” she adds.

Asked whether she will continue her advocacy work, Raimondo says she hopes to remain engaged through board service and community initiatives that support older Rhode Islanders.

Leaving a Legacy at RIC

A Greenville resident, Raimondo started her job at RIC as an associate professor, teaching both undergraduate and graduate courses in healthcare management and policy. She was then named dean of the businesss school and served as executive director of the Institute for Education in Healthcare, which she started in 2016.  She oversaw RIC’s Institute of Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies, which opened in the fall of 2023.

Throughout her leadership roles, Raimondo worked to modernize curricula, create career ladders and apprenticeship programs for healthcare workers, increase opportunities for expand experiential learning, and build strategic alliances that made it easier for students to get what they needed.

A licensed clinical social worker, Raimondo holds a Ph.D. in Public Health with a concentration in Health Policy and Management and a Master of Science in Public Health from UMass Amherst. She earned a Master of Social Work from RIC and a Bachelor of Science in Chemistry from Providence College.

Over the course of her career, she has focused on improving healthcare quality and services for older Rhode Islanders, with particular emphasis on quality management, systems redesign, leadership development, and patient satisfaction.

Before joining RIC, Raimondo served as vice president at Applied Management Systems, a healthcare management consulting firm specializing in quality management, systems redesign, and leadership development. Earlier, she was senior vice president at the Hospital Association of Rhode Island.

Bringing Home the Bacon

A prolific grant writer, Raimondo secured substantial funding to address health workforce development, aging services, and behavioral health integration. Around 2016, as principal investigator, she was awarded a RealJobs Rhode Island Healthcare Workforce Grant to strengthen and expand the state’s healthcare workforce. During that year, she also established RIC’s Institute for Education in Healthcare (IEH), securing more than $8.8 million in grants to train healthcare professionals in dementia care, aging services, and case management.

In 2017, Raimondo obtained a $121,000 grant from the Point32 Health Foundation to study service gaps affecting older adults living in the community. This funding ultimately led to the development of a strategic plan to build an Age-Friendly Rhode Island.

In late 2019, a $360,000 three-year grant was awarded to expand statewide aging collaborations.

This was followed in 2022 by a $330,000 general operating grant for the 2023–2025 period to address community priorities for older adults.

In February 2026, the Point32 Health Foundation awarded an additional $55,000 to RIC. This latest funding supports technical assistance and strategic leadership, ensuring the initiative continues its equity-focused systems change as the previous multi-year cycle concludes.

Through Raimondo’s efforts, these investments established the College as a permanent regional hub for aging advocacy. As principal investigator, she co-led a statewide coalition to implement strategies supporting older residents who wish to age in place.

In 2021, serving as executive director and principal investigator, Raimondo received a $2.3 million Behavioral Health Care Managers Workforce Pipeline grant from the Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The grant enabled RIC to create a statewide apprenticeship program to train behavioral healthcare managers in partnership with healthcare centers, providing students with hands-on experience and stipends.

In 2022, she was awarded funding through the Alzheimer’s and Dementia-Related Diseases Partnership to strengthen dementia care education and healthcare systems. That same year, Raimondo secured a $2.7 million HRSA Community Health Worker Training grant to expand Rhode Island’s public health workforce by recruiting and training new and existing community health workers.

In 2024, she received a $712,734 Behavioral Health Workforce Education and Training Program for Paraprofessionals grant to enhance behavioral health competencies among paraprofessionals and strengthen workforce pathways for entry-level healthcare workers.

Raimondo also served as principal investigator for quality management initiatives under the HIV Ryan White Program, RI EOHHS/Medicaid, Housing Plus, and the Rhode Island Foundation, among others.

Leadership in the Aging Network

Along with birthing Age-Friendly Rhode Island, Raimondo is widely recognized for her leadership in Rhode Island’s aging network. She co-developed the Senior Fellows Program in partnership with Leadership Rhode Island, empowering older adults to serve as informed community advocates.

She also serves on the boards of several aging-focused organizations, including the PACE Organization of Rhode Island and Tockwotton on the Waterfront.

In Aug. 2023, Raimondo received the Providence Business News’ Leaders & Achievers award.

One year later, she would be recognized as Social Worker of the Year – Aging by the Rhode Island Chapter of the National Association of Social Workers.

That year, she was also honored as a “Game Changer” at the 2024 Bad*ss Woman of the Year Awards, presented by the Women’s Business Council of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce, recognizing her exemplary leadership and significant contributions to her field.

Her advocacy also earned her recognition the following year.

In Nov. 2025, Raimondo accepted the Meritorious Program Award from the Rhode Island Public Health Association on behalf of Age-Friendly Rhode Island for its impact on the state’s aging population.

In that same year, Raimondo’s Institute for Education in Healthcare received the Career Pathways Advancement Awards from the Governor’s Workforce Board for its behavioral training programs.

As Raimondo begins her new role at CCRI, her record of innovation, collaboration, and commitment to workforce development and advocacy for older Rhode Islanders positions to shape the next chapter of academic excellence in Rhode Island’s public higher education system.

Raimondo’s Lasting Impact on RIC and Aging Programs

Here are some thoughts from RIC colleagues and aging organizations who worked with Marianne Raimondo and witnessed her leadership and accomplishments firsthand. She has made a significant and lasting impact on programming and on enhancing the quality of life for older Rhode Islanders.

“Dr. Raimondo’s contributions have been monumental. Her trailblazing approach combined academic analysis with ‘boots-on-the-ground’ action. Marianne moved students beyond the classroom to create pioneering programs that strengthened the workforce, developed a practical knowledge base, and empowered the aging community with new tools and resources. SACRI wishes her the very best at CCRI, and we look forward to our continued collaboration.”

— Carol Anne Costa, Executive Director of SACRI, the state’s premier advocacy, policy, and organizing nonprofit dedicated to Rhode Island’s older adults and adults with disabilities.

“I have been privileged to serve for many years alongside Marianne on the LTCCC and the RI Alzheimer’s Advisory Council. She consistently brings an open, inquisitive mind, a firm grasp of what is required, and a passion for our shared mission.”

— Dr. Chris Gadbois, Secretary of the state’s Long-Term Care Coordinating Council and Chair of the RI Alzheimer’s Advisory Council.

“Dr. Marianne Raimondo’s contributions to Rhode Island College have been remarkable, as has her leadership in advancing programs focused on older adults. I remember working closely with her as she built the Age-Friendly RI program, which continues to flourish. Her energy and enthusiasm were contagious and inspired all of us who worked with her. CCRI will surely benefit from her vast academic experience, especially in workforce development. I wish her great success in her new role and hope our paths continue to cross.”

— Maureen Maigret, RN, BS, MPA, Aging Policy Consultant and former Director of the Rhode Island Department of Elderly Affairs.

“For many years, my team and I have worked hand in hand with Marianne Raimondo on numerous workforce initiatives. We are grateful for her ongoing partnership and look forward to connecting with her in her new role at CCRI.”

— Rick Brooks, Director of Health Workforce Transformation at the Executive Office of Health and Human Services.

“Marianne has served on the PACE Board of Directors since 2019. Her enthusiasm for our model of care is evident—whether she is engaging deeply in strategic conversations, buying and delivering personal care items to our participants, referring student interns to PACE, or recruiting new board members. Marianne asks about quality of care and participant satisfaction at board meetings; she ensures participants remain at the center of board-level discussions. Not everyone advocates for older adults—Marianne is a dedicated and caring champion for those who are often forgotten. We are lucky to have her on our board.”
— Joan Kwiatkowski, CEO, PACE-RI.

“Marianne has been an advocate and leader in expanding training opportunities to educate the direct care workforce supporting individuals living with Alzheimer’s or other forms of dementia. We look forward to continuing to work with her in this new role to ensure those entering the dementia care field are prepared to serve the needs of the aging community.”

— Margaret Murphy, Senior Program Manager, Alzheimer’s Association, Rhode Island Chapter.

“Since 2016, Dr. Marianne Raimondo has been an indispensable force in advancing the mission and quality of service at Tockwotton on the Waterfront, a local senior living community. As Board Chair, her remarkable impact on our organization and the lives of those we serve is evident. Dr. Raimondo’s leadership has been defined by a tireless commitment to culture change and to elevating the quality of care for our residents. Her oversight and insight have directly led to significant improvements in our operational efficiency and measurable resident outcomes.”
— Chris McGee, Executive Director, Tockwotton on the Waterfront.

“Over the last several years, Meals on Wheels of RI (MOWRI) has expanded our work in the Food is Medicine space, and Marianne’s partnership was integral in developing our service to individuals living with HIV/AIDS and simultaneously experiencing food insecurity. Her collaboration in this effort—now in its second year of implementation, the project has served 2,270 meals—is just one example of her ability to make innovative connections in the healthcare space.”

— Meghan Grady, MOWRI’s Executive Director

“Marianne has long been a steadfast advocate for older adults and for improving the systems that support them. She’s a great strategic thinker, but what I’ve always appreciated is that she never hesitates to roll up her sleeves and do the work. I look forward to seeing how she continues to champion this cause at CCRI.”

— Kyle Penrod, M.S., Project Director, Institute for Education in Healthcare

“Marianne Raimondo is a true leader. I had the pleasure of working beside her for eight years and came to appreciate the seamless way she wove compassion, innovation, and intelligence into her work as a leader and into workforce development efforts in aging and healthcare. Marianne leads by example with determination and dedication.”

 —  Tonya Glantz, MSW, PhD., Executive Director, RIC’s Institute for Education in Healthcare

“Marianne Raimondo has left the healthy aging space far better than she found it when she established Age-Friendly Rhode Island in 2016. Over the past decade, she has deeply impacted older Rhode Islanders through collaborations with more than 60 organizations, driving meaningful change in healthcare workforce transformation, older adult mental health, and so much more. Because of her devotion to aging Rhode Islanders, our most marginalized older neighbors are being fed, transported to medical appointments, receiving better health care, and are more engaged in their communities.”

—  Jim Connell, Executive Director, Age-Friendly RI

“Marianne Raimondo has long demonstrated a deep and authentic commitment to improving the lives of older Rhode Islanders. During her time at Rhode Island College, she strengthened the connection between higher education and the aging network in ways that were both practical and lasting. Her leadership helped elevate programming that recognized older adults not simply as recipients of services, but as active participants in community life, learning, and contribution.”

— Maria E Cimini, MSW, Director, The Rhode Island office of Healthy Aging

“Marianne’s work has brought the Age Friendly philosophy to Rhode Island, developed critical healthcare workforce training in the areas of dementia, older adult behavioral health and addictions. Her forward-thinking guidance as the Dean of RIC’s Institute of Cybersecurity and Emerging Technologies has enabled my own organization to think through the development of new technologies.  Her depth of knowledge and understanding of the issues older adults face, paired with her caring heart, has created lasting positive change for all Rhode Islanders.”

— Deb Burton, Executive & Gerontologist, RI Elder Info

“As a Rhode Island College alumna, I have been immeasurably proud of everything that Dr. Marianne Raimondo has done to lead at RIC strengthen our state’s health care education and to provide entryways and opportunities for Rhode Islanders who want to enter the health care workforce. As a co-founder of Age-Friendly Rhode Island, she has helped combat ageism and pushed our state to better serve older Rhode Islanders. She brings a vast wealth of knowledge to her new role at CCRI, and I am excited to see both how she continues her longstanding commitment to the aging community and what new projects she takes on.”

— Lt. Governor Sabina Matos 

“Marianne Raimondo is one of the State’s strongest champions for those who may not always be able to advocate for themselves.  I have observed firsthand of her ability to foster change in an impactful way.  She has a great gift of listening to those of us in the trenches to bring the most current concerns and issues facing older adults to platforms that really matter.  The work she has done with providing students with hands on training and opportunities in a variety of areas of healthcare has had a ripple effect that will be felt for years to come.  I am grateful to Marianne for planting the seeds for RI cities and towns to look at aging through a broader lens to provide opportunities for our residents to age in place with all the supports they need.”

— Marylou Moran, Director, Leon A. Mathieu/Pawtucket Division of Senior Services

RIC Fundraiser and E-Book Released to Honor the Late Richard Walton

Published in Pawtucket Times, March 14, 2014

            As my co-editor, Rhode Island College (RIC) President Nancy Carriuolo will tell you that the late Richard Walton clearly understood the power of the emerging Internet and the power social media would wield in our daily lives.  The beloved social activist and educator who put tireless energy and effort into supporting many worthy causes began emailing and connecting to his family and vast network of friends electronically in the early 1990s.

             Over 20 years, he would literally write thousands of correspondences on a vast array of topics including serious social causes, baseball and boxing, politics and even entertaining observations about Rhode Islanders and local events.

 Honoring the Late Richard Walton

             According to Carriuolo, the late activist’s and educator’s love and active involvement in social media prompted the creation of our e-book, The Selected E-Mail Correspondences of Richard Walton, which offers his sampling of correspondence.  As co-editors of this tribute to Walton, we invite you to a RIC Foundation fundraiser, where we will unveil our e-book in his memory, from 2-3 p.m. on Sunday, March 23, at the RIC Student Union Ballroom, 600 Mt. Pleasant Ave., Providence. We will offer readings from this e-book. The suggested donation for the event is $10. Proceeds will be used to equip the English Department Conference Room, which will be named in Walton’s honor.

             Last winter, Facebook notification of a memorial event held at Roots Cafe in Walton’s honor brought Nancy Carriuolo and I together with hundreds of others shortly after Richard’s death to celebrate his extraordinary life.   We began to correspond via Facebook.  She sent me an e-essay that Richard had sent her about “the Encyclopedia Britannica going out of print and wondering what would happen to his Encyclopedia Britannica when he passed.” In return, I sent her an essay titled “The great and good Hammerin’ Hank Tears for my Boyhood Baseball Hero,” telling his love and admiration for the legendary baseball player, Hank Greenberg, and the tears he shed for a long dead baseball player.

             In our social media chats, Carriuolo admitted that she had saved some of Walton’s emails.  “Who could delete a correspondence with the subject line:  ‘Do I Really Have to Wear Long Pants?’ which was written in response to her invitation to recognize Walton as a founding adjunct union president at my opening annual meeting of faculty, administrators, and staff,” she remembers, telling me that  “I just could not bear to delete any of his emails.”  I shot back an email saying that I bet others had saved Richard’s emails, too, then asking her that maybe we should do an e-book?  That was the beginning of our editorial project.

             Walton’s 91-page e-book is comprised of electronic correspondence shared by many of his friends and colleagues.  Being a brilliant writer and an observer of life, Walton covered topics as diverse as progressive issues on the topic of homelessness (spending Christmas at Amos House), the Rhode Island Governor’s race, national politics, education and women’s rights.  He jumped into giving his two cents about the Lion’s Head, his favorite New York hangout, as well as boxing and baseball, and even his views on religion.

             In one of my favorite emails in our e-book, Walton shared his great admiration for the great first baseman, Hank Greenberg of the Detroit Tigers.  His love for this Jewish baseball player began as a small child when he grew up in Providence listening to the game on the radio with his grandfather during an era of rampant anti-Semitism and racism.  Even at the ripe old age of 72, the seasoned journalist wrote a powerful Op Ed in The Providence Journal about Greenberg after reading a four-star review of the movie, “The Live and Times of Hank Greenberg.”  He even admitted that he shed tears over “a long-dead baseball player,” this giving me a glimpse into how Walton as a young man would not accept the bigotry of his time and who would later turn his attention and tireless energy to fighting against society’s ignorance and indifference to the less fortunate.

 As to other e correspondences…

 ·       On his career choices: Walton admitted, “I did turn down a job as an NBC News

correspondent because I refused to shave my beard.”

 ·       On the fact that at age 79 he traveled to Shanghai to teach children, he quipped,

“It might turn up in a game of Trivial Pursuit some day.”

 ·       On his losing battle with leukemia, Walton noted, “I’m going on a great adventure.”

 The Life and Times of Richard Walton

             With his prominent long white beard and his red bandana, decked out in blue jean overalls and wearing a baseball cap, Walton, who passed in 2012 at the age of 84, was a well-known figure on the Rhode Island scene. In the early ’80s, he ran as the Citizen’s Party vice presidential candidate. Later, he became an early member of the Green Party. At Rhode Island College, where he taught English for more than 25 years, he ran a successful campaign to unionize adjunct faculty, serving as the union’s first president.  With his death, RIC President Carriuolo called for lowering the flags on campus to half-staff in his memory. 

                        Born in Saratoga Springs, New York, Walton grew up in South Providence in the 1930s, graduating from Classical High School in 1945.  After taking a two-year break from his studies at Brown University to serve as a journalist mate in the U.S. Navy, he returned to receive a bachelor’s degree in 1951.  He whet his appetite for music by working as disc jockey at Providence radio station WICE before enrolling in Columbia University School of Journalism where he later earned a master’s in journalism degree in 1955.

             Walton’s training at Brown and Columbia propelled him into a writing career.  During his early years he worked as a reporter at The Providence Journal, and the New York World Telegram and Sun. At Voice of America in Washington, D.C., Walton initially put in time reporting on African issues, ultimately being assigned to cover the United Nations.

             The prolific writer would eventually publish 12 books, nine being written as critical assessments of U.S. foreign policy.  As a freelance writer in the late 1960s, he made his living by writing for The Nation, The New York Times, The Washington Post, Chicago Tribune, Village Voice, Newsday, The [old] New Republic, Cosmopolitan, even Playboy.

                    A self-described “peacenik,” the journalist was known not only for his political views, but also for his charity and volunteer work with such fixtures as the Amos House homeless shelter, The George Wiley Center, grassroots agency that works to alleviate problems associated with poverty and the musical venue Stone Soup Coffeehouse. In fact, for many years he used his birthday party to host a highly regarded and well-attended annual fundraiser to support Rhode Island’s homeless community.

             I know that throughout his life, Richard Walton served as a role model for generations of activists, watching out and protecting Rhode Island’s voiceless citizens, showing all that positive societal changes could be made through sound arguments.

 E-Book Allows Us to Re-Experience Walton 

             While we can no longer see our friend, Richard Walton, in our daily travels, his essence, keen observations and thoughts about our wonderful world can be found in his e-writings.  As stated in my afterword in Walton’s e-book, “his emails will magically propel you into the distant past, when he stood among us, allowing us to easily remember our own philosophical banters and discussions with him, even giving us the opportunity to re-experiencing his sharp wit, humor and his humbleness.”

             “While so painful to admit that he is no longer here, his beautiful and thoughtful and provocative writings to his family and friends make him come alive once again to us.  Just close your eyes after you read the emails in our e-book.  I am sure you will once again feel his energy and essence.”

             For more details about RIC’s reception to honor Walton or contribute to dedicate a room in his honor, contact Paul Brooks at (401) 456-8810. Donations should be made to the RIC Foundation with the notation:  Richard Walton.

            Herb Weiss, LRI ’12, is a Pawtucket writer covering aging, health care and medical issues and is co-editor of The Selected E-Mail Correspondences of Richard Walton.  He can be contacted at hweissri@aol.com.