Marie Bernardo-Sousa was named president of the Providence, Rhode Island, campus of Johnson & Wales University. The university was founded in Providence in 1914 as a business school. It now operates three additional campuses in North Miami, Florida, Denver, Colorado, and Charlotte, North Carolina.
The providence campus enrolls about 7,700 undergraduate students and more than 800 graduate students, according to the latest data supplied to the U.S. Department of Education. Women make up 60 percent of the undergraduate student body.
Dr. Bernardo-Sousa has been serving since 2017 as senior vice president of administration and enrollment management at Johnson & Wales University. She first joined the staff at the university in 1988 when she worked in the office of the university registrar. Over the years, she has held numerous titles including director of academic services, vice president of university services, university registrar, and senior vice president of student services.
“I am inspired by this opportunity to lead the JWU Providence Campus, a community that takes pride in both its educational mission and the character of its faculty and staff and has the courage to embark on bold and ambitious plans,” said Dr. Bernardo-Sousa. “JWU is a strong institution with a clear vision for the future. I am confident that with the support of the faculty, staff and students, we will continue to build upon this foundation of strength and successfully position the campus for great success.”
Dr. Bernardo-Sousa is a graduate of Johnson & Wales University, where she majored in marketing. She holds a master’s degree in human resources from Emmanuel College in Boston, and a doctorate in law and policy from Northeastern University in Boston.