Hassenfeld Child Health Innovation Institute

Ramona Esther Santos Torres is, first and foremost, a parent and the Co-Founder and Executive Director of Parents Leading for Educational Equity (PLEE), a parent-led grassroots organization committed to elevating the voices of parents in education decision-making and ensuring access to high-quality public schools for all children of color. With over 14 years of experience as a parent advocate, Ramona has primarily worked with families of students with disabilities across the school system and other care systems. She is deeply passionate about organizing families to build their collective knowledge and power to create the equitable education system our children deserve.

In her previous role as Program Manager for the Healthy Communities Office in Providence, Ramona focused on substance use and overdose prevention initiatives. Originally from Sosua, Dominican Republic, she moved to Providence 20 years ago. Ramona began learning English as a second language in 2011 at the Community College of Rhode Island and went on to earn her Bachelor's degree in Social Work from Rhode Island College in 2018. She also holds a Master’s degree in Urban Education Policy from Brown University.