About
Dr. Joanna N. Ravello Goods serves as Vice President for Equity and Inclusion at Roger Williams University, where she works to strengthen community, foster belonging, and advance the success of students, faculty, and staff. Born in Trinidad and Tobago and a longtime resident of Providence, Rhode Island, she brings a lifelong interest in identity, culture, learning, and human development to her leadership.
Throughout her career, Joanna has focused on helping individuals and organizations better understand themselves and one another. Her work is grounded in the belief that thriving communities are built through reflection, relationships, dialogue, and a willingness to learn across differences. She views leadership as both an inward and outward practice that requires self-awareness, curiosity, humility, and action.
As an IDI Qualified Administrator, Joanna facilitates intercultural learning and development through assessment, coaching, dialogue, and organizational change efforts. Her experience with the Intercultural Development Inventory has deepened her understanding of how people make meaning across cultural differences and reinforced her belief that intercultural competence is a lifelong developmental process rather than a destination. This perspective informs her approach to leadership, community development, and organizational learning.
Prior to joining Roger Williams University, Joanna served as Associate Vice President for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion at Stonehill College and as Director for Community and Organizational Development at the University of Rhode Island. Across these roles, she has led strategic initiatives, developed educational programs, and built partnerships that strengthen institutional capacity, foster community, and drive organizational learning and transformational change.
For more than twenty years, Joanna has taught undergraduate and graduate courses in Gender and Women's Studies, Human Development, Higher Education, and Sociology. Her teaching and scholarship have explored identity, culture, leadership, power, organizational development, and social change. She is particularly interested in how individuals and institutions create conditions where people feel valued, connected, challenged, and empowered to thrive.
Joanna earned bachelor's and master's degrees from the University of Rhode Island and a Ph.D. in Higher Education Administration from the University of Massachusetts Boston. Her scholarship and professional practice are grounded in a commitment to equity, community development, organizational learning, and human flourishing.
Outside of her professional work, Joanna shares life with her husband, their blended family, and an ever-growing collection of tropical plants.