Constance A. Howes is Executive Vice President of Women’s Health for Care New England Health System, the health system comprised of Women & Infants Hospital, Butler Hospital, Kent Hospital, Memorial Hospital and the VNA of Care New England. She recently stepped down after serving for 11 years as President and Chief Executive Officer of Women & Infants Hospital of Rhode Island, the primary teaching affiliate of The Warren Alpert Medical School of Brown University for obstetrics, gynecology and newborn pediatrics, with over 8400 births annually, as well as a number of specialized programs in women’s medicine.

Since June, 2011, Ms. Howes has served as the chair of the Governor’s Workforce Board, the primary workforce development policy-making body for the State of Rhode Island, with responsibility for developing policies and programs to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of the State’s workforce development system, increase the education and skill levels of Rhode Island workers, and address the workforce needs of Rhode Island employers. She also serves as chair of Innovation Providence, an affiliate of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce focused on developing the knowledge economy in Rhode Island. Ms. Howes was recently elected to the Board of Trustees of the American Hospital Association, the national policy and advocacy organization that represents and serves all types of hospitals, health care networks, and their patients and communities. She is a past member of the American Hospital Association Regional Policy Board 1, and a past member and past Chair of the American Hospital Association Maternal Child Health Governing Council.

Ms. Howes is also a member of the Board of Directors of Roger Williams University School of Law, a member of the Board of Trustees of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, a member of Providence College President’s Council, and the Rhode Island Commodores. She previously served on the NIH Advisory Committee on Women’s Health Research and the executive group of CWISH, the Council of Women and Infants Specialty Hospitals.

Ms. Howes graduated magna cum laude from Kenyon College and received her J.D. degree from the University of Virginia School of Law. She is married to R. Kelly Sheridan, a lawyer in Providence, and they are the parents of two adult children.