| Liana Cassar | |
| Birth Place: | Connecticut, US |
| Office: | Member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from the 66th district |
| Predecessor: | Joy Hearn |
| Termstart: | January 1, 2019 |
| Termend: | January 3, 2023 |
| Children: | 2 |
| Spouse: | Larson Gunness |
| Successor: | Jennifer Boylan |
| Party: | Democrat |
| Education: | BA, communications and Spanish, University of Connecticut MPH, Boston University MBA, Simmons University |
Liana M. Cassar is an American politician who was a Democratic member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives, representing District 66 from 2019 to 2023.
Cassar was born and raised in Connecticut,[1] and graduated from John Jay High School in Katonah, New York. Following this, she graduated with a Bachelor of Arts degree from the University of Connecticut and served as a Community Development Worker in the Peace Corps in Costa Rica from 1992 to 1995. She also completed her MPH at Boston University and MBA from Simmons College.[2]
Cassar has worked in various health care and public health sectors in Rhode Island and Massachusetts. She has served as co-chair of the Barrington Democratic Town Committee and as an Advisory Board Member for the Center for Health and Justice Transformation.[2] Earlier, she was a strategy and Operations Consultant to Big Brothers Big Sisters of Rhode Island and served as a strategic business consultant for AthenaHealth. From 2006 until 2008, Cassar served as the Chief Operating Officer for Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island.[3]
In January 2018, Cassar announced her bid to replace Joy Hearn as a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives representing District 66.[1] She defeated John Chung in the primary and Republican Rhonda Holmes in November's general election to win her first election.[4] Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic in North America, Cassar announced legislation to lift the ban on abortion coverage for state employee health plans and ensure that abortion care is covered by Medicaid.[5] Following this, she was appointed to the Health, Education and Welfare Committee while continuing to work with the House Committee on Small Business.[6] In October, Cassar announced her bid for Rhode Island House Speaker against Nicholas Mattiello.[7] She eventually dropped her bid in December after the majority of the House voted for Joe Shekarchi.[8]