(she/her/hers)
Elizabeth Francis leads Rhode Island Humanities’ promotion of public history, cultural heritage, civic education, and community engagement. Elizabeth has expertise in building partnerships and initiatives that bring together humanities scholars, community members, public humanities practitioners, and policymakers in economic and cultural development. Deeply interested in the connection between public participation in cultural activities and overall civic health in communities, Elizabeth recently co-authored Culture is Key: Strengthening Rhode Island’s Civic Health Through Cultural Participation (2022), an initiative that led to the development of the state’s first-ever Civic Health Index (2022) by RI Humanities. Elizabeth earned a PhD in American Studies at Brown University and a BA at Hampshire College. She worked at Brown for over 10 years in Corporate and Foundation Relations. She currently serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council at Johnson and Wales University and is a member of the boards of The Public’s Radio and the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island. Elizabeth is also Vice President of the Community Advisory Board at RI PBS. Elizabeth is serving as Secretary of the State Commission of the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution.
