MILLY DE LA CRUZ recently received the 2025 Emerging Leader Award from the Rhode Island Black Business Association. The award recognizes an individual for their exemplary leadership and contributions throughout Rhode Island to advance equity.
De La Cruz is the assistant director of professional and executive business education at the University of Rhode Island’s College of Business, where she promotes the graduate programs, facilitates professional development workshops for employees and creates strong partnerships between organizations and the college.
How has RIBBA helped you grow as a business education professional and leader? After graduating from RIBBA’s LEAP Mentorship and Training Program in 2024, I gained the confidence to step outside my comfort zone and grow my networking skills while building genuine relationships with business leaders across Rhode Island.
Why do you think you were chosen? What are you most proud of among your accomplishments? I believe I was selected because of my strong drive to grow both personally and professionally. Prior to joining the program, I had already built a solid network across Rhode Island, but I was seeking a leadership experience that would further challenge me and help strengthen my leadership skills.
One of my proudest accomplishments was earning two awards following the completion of the LEAP Mentorship and Training Program. A few months after graduating, I was honored to be selected as a recipient of the 2024 Community College of Rhode Island’s Emerging Squire Award, a prestigious recognition that celebrates CCRI alumni for exceptional professional and personal achievement and distinction in their chosen fields. Now, receiving RIBBA’s Emerging Leader Award brings everything full circle for me.
What stuck with you most from the initial Leadership Equity Accelerated Pathway Mentorship and Training Program? It was the opportunity to take a deep dive into my top five CliftonStrengths. Although I had completed the CliftonStrengths assessment prior to joining the program, revisiting my results and learning how to intentionally develop and articulate my strengths gave me greater confidence to integrate them into my professional career. My top five strengths – significance, developer, positivity, empathy and harmony – truly reflect my leadership style and values as a servant leader who is inclusive, collaborative and respectful of diverse perspectives and beliefs.
What aspects of the program do you find most helpful at URI? In my role as assistant director of professional and executive business education at URI’s College of Business, I promote the college’s graduate programs, facilitate professional development workshops and build meaningful partnerships between organizations and the College of Business. By participating in RIBBA’s LEAP Mentorship and Training Program, I strengthened my networking skills and applied them directly to my role, particularly in building and maintaining relationships with business leaders across New England.
