Lorraine Quintero Valentin’s Journey Toward a Career in Public Service

Lorraine Quintero Valentin ‘23 grew up in Central Falls after moving there from Florida at age 11. As a teenager, she was already involved in civic life through the Rhode Island-based nonprofit Young Voices, speaking before the school board and serving on former Mayor James Diossa’s Youth Advisory Council. 

Those early experiences gave her a first look at how government could shape the community around her. 

At Rhode Island College, that interest developed into a broader understanding of public service and, through the Washington Week/Congressional Internship, into a firsthand look at politics and government on the national stage.

“My start was in Central Falls, and that experience sort of ignited my interest in studying political science and public administration at RIC,” Quintero Valentin says. “So it was all kind of a natural fit.”

That path led her to Rhode Island College, where she became vice president and then president of the Latin American Student Organization, a role that connected her civic interests with her identity as a Latina student. Under the mentorship of Professor Perri Leviss, she was accepted into the Washington Week/Congressional Internship, which brought her to Washington, D.C., where she could see the federal government at work. There she sat in on congressional hearings, watched lawmakers interact in committee meetings and saw other young people engaged in government.

“I had done things on the local level, but seeing how it works in our nation’s capital was absolutely amazing,” says Quintero Valentin. “I see that experience serving Senator Reed as something transformational for me. I feel like it really opened me up to a world of opportunities.”

Washington Week gave Quintero Valentin an expanding look at government beyond the local level she had known in Central Falls and showed her how the civic engagement that had begun with a school board and a youth advisory council could become a career in public service.

That experience has followed her into her work in Central Falls. After her graduation in 2023, Quintero Valentin worked at Progreso Latino, a nonprofit organization in Central Falls, before joining Central Falls Mayor Maria Rivera’s administration. She initially served as deputy chief of staff and was recently promoted to chief of staff. In that role, she helps oversee 10 municipal departments and works closely with the mayor on strategic initiatives, including housing development, finance, planning and zoning, and public works efforts to keep roads and sidewalks safe.

“Serving for LASO and the E board at RIC really prepared me for a lot of the community building work that I do in my daily life,” she says. “After working with Senator Reed during that Washington Week, now I’m excited that I get to work with him in a different capacity, because our administration works with him very closely.”

In her current position, much of her work connects directly to issues Quintero Valentin experienced and advocated about as a young person. Two of the administration’s accomplishments she is proudest of are helping bring an end to the nearly 35-year state takeover of the Central Falls School District and helping deliver the new $108 million Central Falls High School, a school she once attended.

Her RIC education continues to influence her work. Quintero Valentin recalls that the first municipal budget she helped prepare was in one of her public administration classes. She also credits her involvement with the Latin American Student Organization and the mentorship of Professor Leviss, who prepared her for the community-building and public-service work she does today.

“I’ve really developed a close mentor-mentee relationship with Dr. Leviss. She was so supportive of me,” says Quintero Valentin. “Dr. Leviss has really worked with me, not only during a hard personal time, but academically. She always empowered me and reminded me that I am more than capable.” 

“Most recently, Dr. Leviss wrote a great letter of recommendation for my graduate school applications,” she adds. “Just recently I received my acceptance to Northeastern University for the Master of Public Administration program. I’m very excited about that and very grateful for the mentorship that Dr. Leviss provided.”

Professor Leviss describes Quintero Valentin as an example of the many Rhode Island College graduates who want to give back and improve their communities.

Now, Quintero Valentin is continuing that journey as she returns to Rhode Island College to take part in the college’s 2026 Hispanic Heritage Month celebration. Her return provides a natural, full-circle ending to the story: The Central Falls student who came to RIC with an interest in civic engagement, traveled to Washington through the Congressional Internship and gained a broader view of public service is now back on campus as a proud Latina alumna who has turned that experience into a career serving her community.

Learn more about RIC’s Political Science B.A., Public Policy and Administration B.A., B.A. to M.P.A.