Named “22 of 2022 to Watch” by The Providence Journal, Dr. Michelle Cruz is an award-winning singer, songwriter, curator, and arts advocate who believes in the power of storytelling to make change. As Trinity Rep’s former director of community engagement, she created programs such as Community Sing, Project RE-Discovery, Veteran Voices, and The Green Light Ghost Project. She takes pride in her work with Veterans through the arts. Beyond Trinity Rep, Cruz has performed nationally and internationally, including opening for The Roots and performing for the founder of the Newport Jazz and Newport Folk Festivals’ “George Wien and Friends.” Cruz served on the Advisory Committee on Minority Farmers, advising Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack during the Biden administration. She is also board member of the August Wilson Society, upholding the playwright’s legacy with events like the recent “Keys To The Piano Lesson,” which celebrated the premiere of Netflix’s The Piano Lesson.
She holds a PhD from the HBCU (historically Black college or university) Virginia University of Lynchburg, an MBA from Louisiana State University -Shreveport, and a Bachelor of Arts in Marketing from Providence College, along with two certificates from Harvard Business School’s HBS program and Stanford University’s Non-Profit Management Institute. Michelle received a Hassenfeld Family Foundation Rhode Island Public Service Fellowship at The John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University.