RISD Works Series: Antone Souza, Director, Public Safety

A lifelong Rhode Islander, public service runs in Tony's family, and he always knew he wanted to follow a similar path. As a trained EMT, he joined RISD’s Department of Public Safety (DPS) as an officer in 2001, becoming a sergeant and shift supervisor in 2003. In 2008, he was promoted to lieutenant and took on a more administrative role. In 2022, he was promoted to captain of operations and in March 2025, he was made director of public safety.

In addition to his work on RISD's campus, Tony's extensive experience as an EMT, public safety officer, first aid instructor and mental health response instructor takes him across the state and New England. He regularly provides training not only at RISD but also at the RI Municipal Police Academy, on campuses throughout the region, and in local communities.

Although his job may have taken him from officer to administrator, Tony's commitment to the well-being of our students, faculty, and staff is always front and center, and he can regularly be seen out in the community across campus.

What drew you to RISD?
I was in my early 20s when I first started at RISD, and, honestly, I thought it was just going to be a job. I quickly came to understand what a special place this is, and what has kept me here is the RISD community, our students, and the college's mission and values. Our work is appreciated here. And, importantly, I've always felt that I could be myself at RISD.

The decision to grow my career at RISD is one I have never regretted. I am part of the educational process here. I love that I have this opportunity to educate our students and help them achieve their creative goals. Whether it is advising on the safest way to test if a boat design floats at Tillinghast, getting students access to work locations, or ensuring that they have the tools and resources they need to live fully and safely in Providence, my team and I provide support so our students can focus on their work as artists and designers.

How would you explain your role to someone unfamiliar? 
My job is to keep people safe and secure and to make sure that we comply with best practices in campus public safety. As director of public safety, my job is to be on top of trends in crisis management, public safety and security, and implement things to make our community and campus safer. I lead Public Safety's initiatives to educate our community on personal safety as well as provide first-aid, mental health response, CPR training, and more on campus.

Families entrust me with the care of their students on move-in day, and my role is to ensure that they feel comfortable that their students are safe.

I am also a student advocate and a resource for them when they don't know where to turn. I believe strongly in RISD's mission and values and I do all I can to protect and defend our students' right to artistic expression.

How do students interact with you?
Students can come to the Public Safety Office at any time. They can call the main line if they have questions or concerns, and we have an emergency line. The Public Safety office is open 24 hours a day, 365 days a year and is always staffed. Officers are routinely out on campus, on foot or in our vehicles and students can always flag us down. Additionally, emergency blue boxes are located throughout campus that people can use to reach us.

If a student can't come to us, we can also meet them wherever they need us to.

All our public safety officers are trained EMTs, so we can help with medical issues.

In addition to emergency and campus safety issues, we have been known to get involved with the creative process, helping students think through the safest way to test their projects and ideas.

Do you have any favorite RISD experiences or standout memories?
Overall, I would have to say Commencement is my personal best event of the year. It's when you see the smiles. The parents are happy and proud. The community comes together and you feel a deep appreciation for the hard work of our students and what they accomplished. They get to ride off into the next chapter of their lives.

For us in public safety, it's a great time to connect with the families and alumni who are back on campus. Parents come to say thank you, students and alumni want pictures with the officers who helped them out during their time at RISD. It's a great reminder of why we do the work.

I think one of my absolute favorite memories has to be providing security for the musician Harry Belafonte while he was on campus for an MLK celebration in 2013. Hearing him speak on campus and having a personal conversation with him was terrific. One thing he said resonated with me, and I keep it in my mind every day.

"What are you willing to do for change?"

It made me think about how powerful art can be and helped me understand its role in activism. It is a daily reminder to me that campus safety is part of a community and that we can effect change, we can help, we can educate and we can support students as they achieve their goals.

What is one thing you want families to know about RISD Public Safety?
We are here to serve the students, the families, and the RISD community. We are here to educate, keep them safe and as a resource.

If families want more information about campus safety, what resources would you direct them to?

There are several ways to learn more about public safety and the resources we provide. We encourage families to:

• Visit the student hub's campus safety page: https://students.risd.edu/living-risd/safety
• Opt into RISD Alerts: You can opt into RISDAlerts via text by texting "RISDALERT" to 226787. This shortcode subscription service is intended for families and members of the public.
• Call the main, non-emergency number, 401 454-6376, and ask for information.
• We also have an Instagram account where we post safety tips and information:  https://www.instagram.com/risd_publicsafety/