In the 21 years since Lisa Guillette first started working for the Rhode Island Foster Parents Association, she has seen the organization grow “dramatically,” she said. Guillette, the executive director of the organization — now called Foster Forward — was just named USA Today’s 2025 Rhode Island Woman of the Year.
The annual Women of the Year list, which aims to celebrate Women’s History Month, features numerous “national” women of the year alongside women of the year representing each U.S. state, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico. This year, Guillette was honored as the Ocean State’s Woman of the Year for her work with Foster Forward.
The organization “supports young adolescents and adults who are currently or formerly in the foster care system,” according to their website.
Guillette shared that she specifically works on behalf of foster youth who have aged out of the system, adding that “every young person I work with has that potential to be unlocked.”
Bianca Perry was in high school when Foster Forward matched her with Guillette via a mentor-mentee program. At the time, Perry was homeless and struggling to balance school and work, she said.
Foster Forward works to “change the lives of (those in) foster care,” Perry said. When she aged out of the foster care system, Perry didn’t know there were resources available to her until a guidance counselor pointed her to the organization.
But Guillette’s mentorship was “life-changing,” said Perry, who the Guillette family has since adopted.
“I can’t imagine where I would be without her as my mentor, and now my mother,” she said.
Perry, who is now 33, graduated from law school last year. She “broke the cycle,” Guillette said proudly.
Guillette said she is particularly proud of Foster Forward’s recent work supporting the Taunton Avenue Collaborative. Foster Forward joined One Neighborhood Builders, Crossroads Rhode Island and Family Service of Rhode Island to construct 160 affordable apartments in East Providence, according to their website.
Foster Forward will manage 20 of these apartments with the goal of housing and providing services to youth who have aged out of the foster care system. The organizations hope to complete development by this summer, according to the website.
“(Guillette) has been really intentional about partnering with other organizations,” said Victoria Ferrara, the director of programs for Foster Forward, who has worked with Guillette for 16 years.
“Her brain, her vision —that’s her superpower,” Ferrara said, adding that Guillette “does a great job of making the connections to help realize her vision.”
For Perry, it’s Guillette’s morality and humility that makes her deserving of the award’s recognition.
“She’s just so loving and compassionate, and she treats everyone the same,” Perry said.
Guillette added that the award is “a pretty big spotlight for a group effort.”
“When you go to a great play or musical, at the end of the day, it’s an ensemble,” she said. “I’m not the leading actress of this play. I’m part of an ensemble cast of people who are deeply committed.”
Maya Kelly is a metro editor from Providence who covers community, crime and activism as well as business and development. A concentrator in urban studies and data fluency, she is passionate about intersecting storytelling with data analysis. When Maya's not at The Herald, you can find her hanging from an aerial silk, bullet journaling or in the middle of a forest.
