As Lieutenant Governor, Sabina Matos has transformed the office and delivered for all Rhode Islanders.
She fights and delivers for Rhode Island’s seniors, veterans, small businesses, job creation, and our young entrepreneurs.
As the first Afro-Latina to serve in statewide public office in Rhode Island, Sabina brings a fresh perspective while breaking down barriers, lifting up her community and giving a voice to those who have never had a seat at the table.
Sabina grew up in the Dominican Republic. At 20, she immigrated to the US, living with family in New York City and working in a clothing factory. Sabina moved to Providence, where she took English language courses while working in a jewelry factory.
Sabina graduated from Rhode Island College, and soon after started a sales job at a Spanish-language radio station.In 2006, Sabina ran against a 24-year incumbent for a seat on the Providence City Council. She lost but ran again in 2010 and won the election. During her campaign, Sabina remembers being asked why a single mother with a baby would run for office. Her response: “Why not?”
Sabina served 10 years on the Council, championing an equity agenda. Her initiatives took direct aim at the barriers facing Providence households: building housing that hard-working Rhode Islanders can afford, supporting women leaders and protecting reproductive rights.
In 2019, Sabina broke the glass ceiling by becoming the first Latina to serve as President of the Providence City Council. In 2021, then-Council President Matos was appointed to serve as Lt. Governor of Rhode Island, becoming the first Black and Latina person and second woman to hold the office in state history.
Sabina met her husband Patrick in 2006. They live in Olneyville with their two children.