Sen. Urso brings a record of leadership and accomplishment in local government and the nonprofit sector. Since 2014, she has served as president and CEO of the Old Slater Mill Association, helping to preserve a valued national landmark, and operates the Slater Industrial Archives, a repository for Pawtucket history.

Since 2015, she has served on the RI Historical Records Advisory Board and has co-chaired Pawtucket International Women's Day. She served nine years on the board of the Pawtucket Foundation, and currently serves on the Pawtucket Riverfront Commission.

Previously, Sen. Urso worked in river and watershed conversation in Rhode Island, receiving a Lifetime Achievement Award from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency Region 1.

Sen. Urso holds a Master of Public Administration from the University of Rhode Island and a Bachelor of Arts from Rutgers University. She was a 2013 Rhode Island Foundation Leadership Fellow, and she served as a member of the Westerly Town Council from 2000 to 2002.​