This episode of Career Intelligence brings forward a conversation with Anita Bruno, who is redefining what it means to build a career in the trades. Through her work with Rhode Island Women in the Trades, Anita is helping to shift mindsets, break stereotypes, and create real access points for women to enter and thrive in these opportunities. She built a nonprofit focused on advocacy, training, and access for women at every stage, from middle school students to those reentering society. Her story sheds light on both the challenges and opportunities within an industry facing a major workforce gap.
Whether you’re a parent, educator, or someone considering a career change, this episode offers valuable insights into the earning potential, career mobility, and long-term stability the trades can provide.
Visit our website, where you will find all episodes and show notes. We would love it if you would follow, rate, and review!
www.careerintelligencepodcast.com
We want to hear from you! Connect with us!
Kathleen Dohoney
celticcareerpros.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/kathleendohoney1/
Betsy Jewell
betsyjewellcoaching.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/betsyjewell/
Meredith Pasekoff-Dinitz
yourcareerhappinesspc.com
LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/meredith-pasekoffdinitz/
About Today’s Guest
Anita Bruno, CEO RI Women In the Trades
[email protected]
https://www.riwomeninthetrades.org/
Anita is a union carpenter, entrepreneur, and workforce development leader dedicated
to expand opportunities for women in the construction industry. She is the founder of Rhode
Island Women in the Trades (RI WIT), an organization committed to preparing women and
girls—particularly those from underserved and justice-impacted communities—for careers in the
skilled trades.
Since launching RI WIT in 2019, Anita has developed innovative pre-apprenticeship and
workforce development initiatives that provide hands-on construction training, safety education,
and direct pathways into union apprenticeships and careers. Her work includes leading the
ReBUILD Her Pathways program in partnership with the Rhode Island Department of
Corrections, which equips incarcerated women with construction skills and workforce readiness
training prior to reentry.
Anita currently serves on the Board of Directors for Girl Scouts of Southeastern New
England and is a member of the Providence Career and Technical Education (CTE)
Advisory Committee, where she helps strengthen workforce pipelines connecting education
and industry. She also contributes to nationwide policy and workforce discussions through her involvement with the National Taskforce for Tradeswomen and is a lifetime member of the
NAACP.