PROVIDENCE – As part of severance agreement from mid-May, Rhode Island College agreed to pay Anna Cano Morales, its now former vice president of external relations and diversity, equity and inclusion, $180,000, the equivalent of one year’s salary.
Morales was also to receive a $2,200-per-month health care stipend for a period of seven months, according to the agreement obtained on Friday by Providence Business News.
RIC spokesperson John Taraborelli declined comment on Friday on why Morales left the college on May 10 after seven years.
The agreement, jointly signed on May 14 by Morales and RIC President Jack R. Warner, also notes that both Morales and RIC will not file lawsuits or publicly make disparaging remarks against one another.
Morales, according to her LinkedIn profile, had been with RIC since January 2017, starting as the state college’s associate vice president for diversity, equity and inclusion. She held that role until 2022 when she was promoted to vice president before leaving the school at the end of the last academic year.
Previously, Morales was with Roger Williams University in Bristol for four years, serving as the director of the university’s Latino Policy Institute.
RIC posted an opening for a DEI director on its job-posting website on Aug. 30. The college is seeking a candidate with at least five years of relevant experience. The proposed starting salary will be between $90,000 and $100,000.
Taraborelli told PBN that he is unsure of the timeline for the search committee to interview prospective DEI director candidates.
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.