PROVIDENCE – Marie Bernardo-Sousa’s nearly four-decade career at Johnson & Wales University will come to an end later this summer.
The university formally announced on April 15 that Bernardo-Sousa will retire as JWU’s Providence campus president in August after being with the university since 1988, the last six leading the local university campus. The announcement came during JWU’s Distinguished Alumni Awards ceremony, where Bernardo-Sousa – a 1992 JWU graduate – received the Outstanding Achievement Award.
“She has had a steadfast and compassionate presence for our students and alumni for decades now, and she will be missed by all her colleagues,” JWU Chancellor Mim L. Runey said in a statement. “She is a true public servant in spirit, a lifelong learner and an educator at heart.”
It is currently unclear what led Bernardo-Sousa to call it a career at JWU and what her plans are moving forward. JWU representatives did not immediately respond to requests for comment.
JWU said Bernardo-Sousa’s career at the university started in 1988 where she worked in the registrar’s office while earning her bachelor’s degree in marketing. A decade after graduating from JWU, Bernardo-Sousa returned and became the university’s executive director of student academic and financial services.
In 2011, Bernardo-Sousa, JWU said, was promoted to vice president of student services and then senior vice president of administration. Then, in 2019, Bernardo-Sousa became president of JWU’s Providence campus.
During Bernardo-Sousa’s tenure leading JWU’s local campus, the university launched several new academic programs and workforce initiatives as well as navigated the school during the COVID-19 pandemic. Among the new initiatives are the new “
JWUPro” initiative, program in which the university will partner with local companies and organizations and help provide customized training and development for those companies’ employees and address various workforce needs.
Another new initiative set to launch this coming fall is JWU’s
three-year, in-person bachelor’s degree program, the first of its kind in the U.S. The initiative will offer students bachelor’s degrees in four study areas – computer science, criminal justice, graphic design and hospitality management – earning degrees in these programs by taking between 90 to 96 credits instead of the traditional 120 credits.
And, JWU will also offer the “
JWU Pledge,” where eligible students entering the university this fall can either have most or all of their tuition covered.
“It has been a distinct privilege to be a part of this campus,” Bernardo-Sousa said in a statement. “I admire all our faculty and our students, our administration, our leadership – always committed to really doing the best they could for the students who are here and ensuring they have opportunities. I was one of those students, so I am incredibly grateful."
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on X at @James_Bessette.
