Cherie L. Cruz is a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing District 58 in Pawtucket, covering the Fairlawn and Woodlawn neighborhoods where she was born and raised. Elected in November 2022, she has served since 2023. She is a mother of four and grandmother to one, with a personal history of overcoming a drug felony conviction, and is a co-founder of the Formerly Incarcerated Union of Rhode Island.

Notable achievements include sponsoring a 2023 law eliminating certain housing rental application fees and introducing bills to create the Office of Early Childhood Development and Learning for affordable child care, as well as establishing civil representation for tenants in eviction proceedings. She advocates for criminal justice reform, voting rights for those in prison or on probation/parole, climate legislation, and gun safety.

Education and Political Experience

• Education: Graduate of Brown University with a Bachelor's degree ; holds a Master’s Degree in Urban Education Policy as a UEP Fellow; certified CLC and CPRS.
• House Committees: Judiciary, Municipal Government and Housing, Special Legislation.
• Other Roles: Joint Legislative Commission on Female Recidivism ; Rhode Island Senate Commission on Justice Reinvestment.
• Boards and Leadership: RI Welcome Back Center, Reentry Campus Program, Transcending Through Education Foundation; Executive Board of RI ACLU ; past service on Rhode Island Special Education Advisory Committee, RI Governor’s Council on Behavioral Health, and OpenDoors of Rhode Island.