Barrington residents selected for Equity Leadership Initiative

Michael Cancilliere and Francisco Lovera are among 31 people selected

Posted 10/7/21

The Rhode Island Foundation has selected two Barrington men to participate in the inaugural class of its Equity Leadership Initiative (ELI).  

Barrington residents Michael Cancilliere and …

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Barrington residents selected for Equity Leadership Initiative

Michael Cancilliere and Francisco Lovera are among 31 people selected

Posted

The Rhode Island Foundation has selected two Barrington men to participate in the inaugural class of its Equity Leadership Initiative (ELI). 

Barrington residents Michael Cancilliere and Francisco Lovera are two of the 31 people statewide who will participate in the initiative, which is designed to build a pipeline of Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous and multi-racial future leaders for positions of influence throughout the state.

The 12-month leadership development initiative includes monthly group work sessions, regular one-to-one coaching sessions, being matched with a mentor and networking with high-level connections across sectors. 

Mr. Cancilliere, Mr. Lovera and the other members of the inaugural class were selected from nearly 100 applicants. Members identify as Asian, Black, Hispanic or Latino, Indigenous or multi-racial. Nearly 75 percent identify as women. Members of the cohort work in government and the nonprofit and for-profit sectors.

Mr. Cancilliere is executive director of Massachusetts programs at Meeting Street School. Previously, he was the chief operating officer at The Groden Network, a multi-state organization dedicated to serving children and adults on the autism spectrum. 

“One of the things I am most looking forward to is the opportunity to meet other leaders in the community and be able to share my experiences and collaborate on ways to increase diversity and equity in workforce in RI,” Mr. Cancielliere said.

Mr. Cancilliere serves on the board of directors of The Providence Community Health Center and the Massachusetts Association of Approved Special Education Schools and the steering committee for the Southcoast Coalition for Early Childhood Education. He earned a BS in psychology at Grove City College, an MA in community counseling from Slippery Rock University and an MBA at the University of Rhode Island. He is also a licensed mental health counselor.

Mr. Lovera is a project manager with McMahon Associates in Lincoln. Previously, he was a chief civil engineer with the state Department of Transportation.

"I'm excited and humbled to be part of the first cohort of the Rhode Island Foundation's Equity Leadership Initiative.  I look forward to meeting some of the future leaders of Rhode Island as our voices gain space and are able to better represent the diversity of our state," Mr. Lovera said.

While with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation, Mr. Lovera held several responsibilities such as traffic engineering, managing the state’s Highway Safety Programs and public outreach, including to community-based organizations. 

Mr. Lovera chairs the board of directors of The Avenue Concept and serves as president of the board of trustees of the International Charter School. He earned a BS in Civil Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City.

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