Rhode Island’s Woman of the Year

2023

RI’s Women of the Year - The Protectors

For the most endangered, vulnerable, and needy, these three women in Rhode Island are protectors.

The abused, forgotten, homeless, and parentless often find help and compassion due to these community leaders. 

This year, GoLocal selected three women who stand out for their tireless work — they are relentless in their efforts to assist Rhode Islanders who find themselves at risk. 

Margaret Holland McDuff

Margaret Holland McDuff is the tenacious CEO of Family Services of Rhode Island.

This holiday season, GoLocal and many others learned about her energy and her endeavor to provide a little joy for every child in the state.

While her organization provides dozens of programs ranging from mental health to foster programs to tens of thousands of Rhode Islanders, an unforeseen problem cropped up this holiday season.

Family Services discovered far more families needed Christmas presents than in years past. With just four days before the holiday, she sprung into action and ran a grassroots, old-school effort and raised $70,000 in donated gifts and dollars.

McDuff got it done.

From toddlers to teenagers in foster care, no child was left behind.

Eileen Hayes

Eileen Hayes is the President & CEO of Amos House, not your average nonprofit. It is a hub of innovation.

While homelessness has been a public policy football in Rhode Island between politicians and advocates (and even elected official against elected official — see McKee v. Neronha) over the past two years, Hayes has stayed above the fray and singularly focused on finding solutions.

Repeatedly, Hayes and her organization stepped up where others failed and filled the void to provide critical services to those in need.

Amos House is so much more than Rhode Island’s largest soup kitchen, which has provided more than 100,000 meals a year, every year for years.

The nonprofit's job training programs for the building trades and restaurant industries are another important tool in its mission to transform Rhode Islanders' lives.

Vanessa Volz

For more than a decade, Vanessa Volz has served as the executive director of Sojourner House. 

The organization not only provides emergency housing for women and children who have been abused, but also provides a path to transitionary housing.

The goal is to help those they serve to rebuild their lives, piece by piece, and too often, there are a lot of pieces.

Under Volz, the agency's budget has quadrupled, and the scope of service has dramatically increased.

What can seem like insurmountable hurdles for women trying to get back on their feet have the support network of Volz and her team at their backs. 

Rhode Island Impact

GoLocal's Women of the Year are not just "do-gooders" but innovators and business leaders — these three women-run agencies have combined budgets of more than $40 million. 

These three filled the holes for Rhode Island's most needy with effort, smarts, and creative solutions. In an economy that is not balanced, McDuff, Hayes, and Volz work to even the game and provide dignity.

They are well deserving of Rhode Island's Women of the Year designation.

PHOTOS: L-R Amos House's Eileen Hayes, Family Services' Margaret Holland McDuff and Sojourner House's Vanessa Volz PHOTOS: Facebook and organizations

2022

The Old Boy Network

Just checking — which year is going to be the year of the woman?

In Rhode Island, there were major opportunities for women to achieve top leadership positions in government, business, and non-profits in 2022. It simply did not happen.

Women lost ground at the top level.

2022 was a male wave.

Elected Offices

The mayors of the five largest cities in Rhode Island are all men.

Providence had a chance to elect the city’s first female mayor — Nirva LaFortune finished third in the Democratic primary.

Newport flipped from having Jeanne-Marie Napolitano as mayor to newcomer Xay Khamsyvoravong.

There are twelve cities in Rhode Island and only two mayors are women— Maria Rivera and Lisa Baldelli-Hunt. And, Baldelli-Hunt was forced out of office and then reelected.

At the statewide level, in 2018, two of the five general offices were held by women, including the highest office. Gina Raimondo was reelected to a second term as Governor, and Nellie Gorbea was reelected as Rhode Island's Secretary of State.

Now, there is only one woman. Sabina Matos was elected Lt. Governor, a position that Constitutionally has virtually no authority. The other four constitutional offices are held by men.

In the legislature, the top leadership positions in both the House of Representatives and the Senate continue to be held by men — Speaker Joe Shekarchi and House Majority Leader Chris Blazejewski and Senate President Dominick Ruggerio and Senate Majority Leader Ryan Pearson, respectively.

The only gain was Senate Minority Leader Jessica de la Cruz.

Congress

With the retirement of James Langevin, the Democratic Party had the opportunity to endorse a woman as their nominee. Instead, the party bosses supported Seth Magaziner — another male.

Now, all four members of the Congressional delegation are male Democrats.

Business

Rhode Island has few major corporations, and it is rare that three change over chief executive officers in a year. But in 2022, Hasbro, Bally’s, and Amica all named new CEOs — and all three were men.

Today, except for CVS, all of the major publicly traded corporations are led by men. 

Nearly all of the banks and major law firms are run by men — although it was announced that Mary Noons will take over the number two position at Washington Trust in 2023.

Major Non-Profits

In 2022, both of Rhode Island's major hospital groups sought and hired new CEOs, and both selected men. These are two of Rhode Island's largest employers, combining for upward of 20,000 employees.

The University of Rhode Island got a new President — the school hired Marc Parlange. The state's university has never had a female president. Of the major non-profits in the state, only RISD hired a woman to take to the helm. Her predecessor was also a woman — no net gain.

There are fewer women in power positions than there were a decade ago. Of the top political positions, Congress, statewide offices, and State House legislative leaders — only one is a woman. Of the major public companies in Rhode Island, only CVS' Karen Lynch holds the CEO position.

Two major vacancies need to be filled in 2023, the presidency of Rhode Island College and the CEO position at the Rhode Island Foundation — it will be interesting to see if their male wave continues.

It was a tough year for top-tier women.

For these reasons, the "old boy network" had a winning year.

PHOTO: Hunter's Race, Unsplash

2021

Mayor Maria Rivera

No elected official has stacked up as many successes as Maria Rivera has in a shorter period of time.

The Mayor of Central Falls has had to face some of the toughest challenges such as the highest per capita COVID outbreak in the country, but yet that did not slow her from accomplishing the longest to-do list in the state.

To fight COVID in the densely populated community, Rivera leveraged healthcare experts and took a hands-on approach to immunization. She literally went door to door encouraging residents to get vaccinated.

While some politicians seem more style than substance — Central Falls' Mayor is in the midst of transforming the one-square-mile city block-by-block.

And while some are all about soundbites, she gets things done. GoLocal named Rivera one of the 21 to Watch in 2021, and she exceeded all expectations.

With Rivera there is little drama, no silly pomposity -- just rolling up her sleeves and doing the work the job requires. 

Many elected officials in Rhode Island could learn a lesson from Rivera's get-it-done approach.

Impact on Children

For children, she is leading the way to transform the city’s educational and recreational infrastructure.

A few of her accomplishments include overseeing a winning bond referendum for a new high school, new turf soccer fields, the city’s first tennis courts.

She is building and rehabilitating much-needed new housing.

While checking off her list and accomplishing big challenges, she does it with little fanfare.

Rivera has emerged as one of Rhode Island's top leaders. Her future is limitless.

2020

Dr. Megan Ranney

Megan Ranney has been one of the most prominent faces of the healthcare response to the pandemic -- and the Rhode Island doctor and Brown professor wears many hats.

The emergency room physician is also a leading expert on gun violence. 

She has been a regular on CNN on the coronavirus, but she also released a major CDC-funded study on gun violence.

Ranney told the AMA in an interview about the link between gun violence and gun suicide, “I would describe them as deeply interlinked. The drivers of firearm suicide are so similar to the drivers of firearm homicide and firearm domestic violence. If we can reduce one, we are likely to reduce them all."

"There is no one, single method or strategy that is going to reduce any one of those types of firearm injury, but they have many of the same underlying drivers: Feelings of hopelessness, impulsivity, easy access to firearms in a moment of despair or fear," she added.

Did we mention Ranney is also emerging as a top entrepreneur in digital health?

GoLocalProv talked to Ranney about her role as the head of the new Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health -- and how she believes it will help take a range of technologies from wearables to telemedicine "to the next level" for everyone's benefit.

"We are excited to announce the launch of the brand new Brown-Lifespan Center for Digital Health. This center represents a deep and innovative collaboration between our major university — Brown — and major academic medical center of Lifespan. We’re excited to take digital health innovation to the next level here in Rhode Island," said Ranney.

"Now, more than ever, I think all of us know how important technology is to our lives and so thinking about new ways that we can use this virtual world to help us stay healthy is just so important," she said.

And oh, did we mention she's a working mom and Good Morning America recognized her as a hero for her emergency room work? 

Music superstar Katy Perry, via remote video, surprised Ranney and her children on the show. 

“Your mom Megan is a hero. Aren’t you so proud of her?” said Perry. 

“Your mom could join the circus — she’s literally doing the best juggling act in the world,” added Perry. 

Ranney is a Rhode Islander who had a major impact in 2020, both locally and nationally, and for that, GoLocal names her Woman of the Year for 2020. 

2019

Angélica Infante-Green

In 2019, the Wall Street Journal named Providence “an education horror show — a case study in public school failure and lack of accountability.”

Johns Hopkins University called Providence schools one of the worst school systems in America, and test results show that other Rhode Island school systems perform just as poorly as Providence's schools. 

GoLocal’s Woman of the Year has been front and center in one of the biggest stories locally — and nationally.

Angélica Infante-Green, who had been a Deputy Commissioner in the New York State Education Department's Office, was immediately thrust in the spotlight after Governor Gina Raimondo tapped her to be Rhode Island’s latest Commissioner of Education in March. 

The following month the Raimondo Administration announced a comprehensive review of Providence schools — setting the stage for a state takeover. 

The Johns Hopkins report released in June declared Providence’s schools' culture “broken.”

Infante-Green quickly made her mark, saying she believed should could “break contracts” once the state takeover officially began in January of 2020 — and announcing that she would not formally include parents in the interviewing and selection of the new Providence “turnaround superintendent.”

With parents -- and teachers -- eyeing her every move, Infante-Green did not shy away from making her intentions clear. 

The Commissioner has been faced with the tall task in hiring for the superintendent position, and as of December 31, 2019 — a new superintendent has still not been named.  Acting Superintending Fran Gallo stepped aside in December, and Schools Board members Bobby Gondola and Lorraine Lalli have announced their resignations, putting the leadership of the beleaguered schools in further flux. 

She has also had a miscue or two. Infante-Green found herself squarely in the hot seat when she defended her controversial decision to hire the godfather of her son — former Central Falls Superintendent Victor Capellan — to be her senior advisor. 

With the December announcement of the “Community Design Teams” focused on transforming Providence schools  — and the unveiling of the flexibility in the Providence schools’ budget — Infante-Green’s whirlwind first year has made her the woman at the center of politics and public education in the state.

And now, with the groundwork laid, the one facing increased pressure in 2020 to deliver results. 

“It will take all of us working together to develop and implement a meaningful, sustainable plan for transformational change in our schools. We will remain engaged with the community every step of the way, and we will work with our teachers and staff to ensure they are empowered to help lead the way,” said Infante-Green with the state took over the Providence schools.

“The stakes are high and so are our aspirations for Providence students," she said. 

For all these reasons, Infante-Green is GoLocal's Woman of the Year.

2018

Rose Weaver

Rose Weaver is an accomplished actress, singer, and producer.  She graced the stage at Trinity Rep for many years, cementing her status in Rhode Island theater, and made her mark in film and TV, living and working in Los Angeles for a period of time as well. 

It is not just her life’s journey and experiences that she has shared through performance that has made her outstanding in her field, but her continued generosity in giving back to the community, that has made her a true legend, and GoLocal’s 2018 Woman of the Year. 

Weaver was everywhere in 2018.  

She received the Wheeler School’s Community Spirit Award in January. 
She was part of the celebration the life and legacy of the Rosa Parks House when it was presented in Providence in April.

After graduating from Wheaton College in 1973, she was presented with an honorary Doctor of Fine Arts degree from her alma mater in May.

She feted Bastille Day at Pot au Feu in June with her La Vie en Rose Band. 

However, it was Weaver’s continued role in supporting the community in Rhode Island that proved invaluable to those who were fortunate enough to be present to learn from her life and lessons learned. 

Weaver was one of seven leading women who presented “Note to Self” at Moses Brown in the fall; sharing advice from their “childhood selves.”
In December, she joined GoLocal LIVE to discuss her latest performance at the SouthSide Cultural Center in Providence — “Sally: A Black Woman’s Journey from Africa to Enslavement in Rhode Island” and “Black Women Taking Off Masks.”

As GoLocal reported: 

“I’ve always tried to write about things that are important to me and hopefully important to the community,” said Weaver. “I’ve done ‘Menopause Mama’ — everybody knows that  — I’ve done ‘Skips the Record’ about Alzheimer’s Disease — and this is about slavery and living in Rhode Island.”

“Sally [was] a slave ship that the Brown University brothers sent to West Africa to pick up slaves, one of the most disastrous slave journeys in the history of slavery,” said Weaver. “I based it on materials that are in the John Carter Brown Library. There’s this wonderful book called ‘Black Mechanics’ — this is [at] the Center for the Study of Slavery and Justice at Brown University, so they’ve really done a lot to educate us and that’s what it’s all about, education through arts, from my perspective.”

“And so Heritage Harbor Commission was kind enough to award me a grant to be able to put this together, I’ve got a group of ten actresses,” said Weaver. 
Weaver spoke to the second reading, “Women Taking of Their Masks.”

“My feeling is that black women have often bitten their tongues when they want to say one thing, they said another. We’ve often been called the ‘angry black woman’ - even Michelle Obama was called an angry black woman, even though she was just speaking her mind and being assertive.”

“You have to ask the question why? So underneath, is it maybe we haven’t been loved enough? Maybe we haven’t been cared for enough? Maybe there’s stuff like that, that's the cause — so I’m exploring that with my actresses,” said Weaver. 

Latest Accolades — and More to Come

Weaver was selected in 2018 to be honored as part of Rhode Island’s Heritage Hall of Fame — but she is far from done.
Expect to see Weaver take part in a number of community initiatives in 2019, which GoLocal will continue to feature for Rhode Islanders — and more — to know more about, as Weaver’s contributions to the arts and history are nearly unparalleled.

And as such, she is our 2018 Woman of the Year. 
 

2017

Gina Raimondo 

Gina Raimondo is the most divisive person in Rhode Island. She won the Governor’s office with just over 40 percent of the vote, after winning the Democratic primary with about the same percentage.

In 2018, after serving in office for three years, she would be happy to have a 40 percent approval rate.

She is either trying to force Rhode Island’s economy into a modern structure -- more diversified and more aligned with the future of business -- or she is a handing out taxpayers subsidies to wealthy cronies, like she is running a ‘candy store.’

The truth may be somewhere in the middle. 

One thing for sure is her wins are big -- or claim to be -- and her losses are gruesome.

On the success side, her RI Promise program to provide two years of free college tuition to all in-state students at Rhode Island colleges and universities got pared down to just the Community Colleges of Rhode Island. The smaller program looks to be an early success -- somewhere under 2,000 students are now attending the Community College for free.

Other "wins" including economic development subsidies to Johnson & Johnson, Wexford, General Electric, Infosys, and Virgin Pulse. The total subsidies are in the tens of millions for companies that do billions annually in revenue. The impact won’t be known for some time — and the subsidies are always controversial.

The third area in which Raimondo can take a bow is infrastructure. Between RhodeWorks, historic tax credits, and Rebuild Rhode Island, her initiatives have put a lot of Rhode Islanders in the construction trades back to work -- but again, not without controversy. The danger is that all of the projects are subsidized and when the subsidies go away, so will the trades jobs. It may be an artificial economy. No one builds a significant project in Rhode Island with just tens of millions in subsidies.  The sad truth.

On the failure side, the loses are starting to mount. First, the UHIP techno-nightmare is a staggering black eye for a Governor who if nothing else claims competency as a top trait. Now, the federal court has intervened and the control of the program has been placed in the hands of a special master. This raises questions about both about Raimondo’s instincts -- and compassion for Rhode Island’s most needy.

Like UHIP, the Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) has blood on its hands and much of it is tied to the failure to properly staff the department by Raimondo appointees like Jamia MacDonald.  By trying to show a budget windfall by not filling vacancies, the impact caused greater costs and harm. Babies and the most vulnerable have died because Rhode Island did not properly staff the state agency.

Similarly, management of the state budget has been inconsistent at best and directionless at worse. Is the PawSox a priority? Is staffing DCYF? No one knows for sure. The only thing one can expect is a $200 plus million deficit this coming fiscal year.

Lastly, and maybe most importantly, questions are emerging about ethics. GoLocal has unveiled a vast web of business interests being directly tied to top Raimondo staffers. The most blatant is “Smiley, Inc.” — the complex network of political consulting businesses owned by Raimondo’s chief of staff Brett Smiley. At a bare minimum, it looks terrible and reeks of a structure of political favoritism. One cannot imagine this continuing under an ethical Governor.

Raimondo is a lightning rod. Nothing she does is grey. Some like her, but according to polling conducted by Harvard’s John Della Volpe in October commissioned by GoLocal, the vast majority of Rhode Islanders think is only doing a “fair” or “poor" job as Governor and most think that state is on the wrong track.  Just six percent believe she is doing an “excellent “job as Governor.

To win re-election Raimondo must connect to Rhode Islanders — they must feel that she is working in their best interests and not in the best interest of donors, large out-of-state corporate entities, and Smiley Inc.

Her talents, initiatives, failures, and controversies make her relevant to everyone in Rhode Island.  And out of Rhode Island -- the Republican Governors Association has her high on their list of targets in 2018. 

For all of these reasons, Governor Gina Raimondo is the 2017 Rhode Island Woman of the Year.

Other nominees:

Helana Foulkes - CVS. For involvement in helping to create one the biggest corporations in America.

Carolyn Rafaelian -- Forbes dubbed her the "Bangle Billionaire." Now she is launching a new restaurant venture.

PHOTO: Richard McCaffrey

2016

Navyn Salem 

It is simple - she is trying to keep children who may die from dying.

She is trying to transform the world.

One Rhode Island woman is combating global hunger and helping to save lives.

Navyn Salem founded Edesia — a not-for-profit that produces Plumpy’Nut® — a high nutrition paste food for the treatment of severe acute malnutrition in children six months of age and older. 

Edesia did not invent the paste, but has developed an infrastructure to produce and distribute Plumpy'Nut.  And this past year, Edesia opened a new 83,000 square foot factory in Quonset Business Park. 

Since Edesia began production in 2010, the “lifesaving food” has helped over 4 million children in 48 countries around the world.

{image_2}While world leaders struggle to feed the children in Ethiopia and deal with the massive dislocation of young Syrian refugees, Edesia ignores the global politics and delivers life-saving food.

For seeing the problem, taking on the problem, and helping four million children around the globe we have selected Navyn Salem Rhode Island's Woman of the Year.

2015

Christina Paxson 

GoLocal's Woman of the Year has had to address serious issues of sexual assault on campus, and a tenuous race relations climate that has permeated academia nationally.  She has set the wheels in motion to provide direct action on both, and now the Brown campus -- and community -- is expecting to see results. 

Christina Paxson is now in her fourth year at the helm of the Ivy League institution, making her the 19th President of the university.  And while she continues to focus on her academic expertise of childhood racial disparities, she is tasked with tackling head on some of the most difficult issues facing college campuses today.  And it is not an easy one.  

Issues of Inclusion

In November, Brown announced a $100 million "inclusivity" plan, stating it was developing a working draft of an action plan to "enhance diversity and inclusion on campus." 

"Faculty, students and staff may provide comments and suggestions through Friday, Jan. 8, 2016. Those responses will be carefully reviewed, and the final plan will be presented at the beginning of the spring semester," announced the University in November, extending the deadline for input.

Paxson had addressed the community in a letter outlining the goals of the plan. 

"Our collective goal is for all students, faculty and staff to fully own and take responsibility for the community’s plan to confront the very real issues of racism and lack of inclusion at Brown," said Paxson. "The draft plan built on a history of student and community activism in the struggle against racism, intolerance and discrimination, and the continuing contributions of students, faculty and staff over the coming month toward an even stronger final plan, will add to generations of efforts to make Brown better."

The extended deadline for input came after feedback from students that the plan was "not enough" -- as reported by the Daily Caller. 

"But now, protesters from a group calling itself Brown Together have rebelled, claiming the plan is too tame, that they’re fed up with the university’s failure to capitulate entirely. Brown Together launched what they called a “Day of Reclamation” Thursday, moving en masse to hijack Paxson’s office to read a statement denouncing the administration’s actions thus far."

Paxson will undoubtedly have to continue to address those who want to see more done - this is just the start of the process.  

Addressing Sexual Assault on Campus

Brown issued its Sexual Assault Task Force final report in April of 2015, to address reporting guidelines for sexual assault on campus, and more. 

Earlier in the year, Brown had sanctioned two fraternities for sexual misconduct.  In a climate where 25% of Brown females reported "unwanted sexual touching" on campus, the problem could not be more urgent.  

“In sharing this report, I share also my belief that our campus is uniquely positioned to confront the issue of sexual and gender-based violence at the center of discussions at higher education institutions across the country,” Paxson said in her message to campus. “Even as various incidents have prompted deep consideration and questioning of ourselves as a community around awareness and response to sexual violence, we have the advantage of so many members of our campus actively galvanized around these issues.”

Challenges Ahead

The University is slated to be releasing its final plan for inclusivity and diversity on campus this coming spring, which will most likely resulting in more discussion, debate -- and detractors. 

Similarly, the University must review the results of the sexual assault task force report's action plan, and ensure that effective change has been implemented.  

Paxson is navigating a tenuous climate at Brown, and is proceeding perhaps too cautiously at times -- the university did not respond to GoLocal's request for Paxson's position on the Woodrow Wilson school at Princeton, which Paxson formerly headed and is under fire by a group of students there to remove his name from it. Similarly, when a student group issued a release that Paxson was on board with a Hilton Hotel boycott, her office refused to comment on whether Paxson did indeed condone the action -- or not.  

Brown's 19th President has taken big steps to address some major issues, but the proof will be in the community response -- and results -- in the coming year and years ahead. 

2014

Dr. Nancy Carriuolo

In a year that saw Rhode Island College break ground on both a new nursing school, and a new state-of-the-art arts facility, among other ground-breaking achievements, GoLocal has named RIC President Dr. Nancy Carriuolo Woman of the Year for 2014.  

In December, Dr. Carriuolo joined with the presidents from Brown and URI to break ground on South Street Landing, a public/private redevelopment project at the corner of Providence’s South and Eddy Streets that will include the shared R.I. Nursing Education Center.  

The multi-million dollar project will be a shared facility between the RIC and URI nursing programs, as well as Brown University offices, graduate student housing and a parking garage. The nursing education center will feature 133,000 square feet of shared simulation labs, clinical teaching labs, mock hospital areas and classrooms, as well as offices that represent a significant upgrade in teaching technology and learning environments.

“Rhode Island College is proud to collaborate on this historic collaboration between the public and private sectors," said Dr. Carriuolo.  "South Street Landing, and in particular the Rhode Island Nursing Education Center, will help our state grow the educated workforce it needs to meet the changing needs of its number-one industry sector: health care."

Having served at the helm of RIC since 2008, Dr. Carriuolo oversaw another big advancement for the College in 2014 -- the grand opening of $17 million Alex and Ani Hall this past September

The 52,600-square-foot art hall represents a significant renovation of the college's original building, which was constructed in 1958. The spacious, light-filled rehab included state-of-the art studios, classrooms, computer labs, presentation areas and outdoor work courts, topped with a copper-wrapped second story.

“RIC has always been a hub for art-making in Rhode Island, but now we have a space that celebrates that role," said Dr.Carriuolo at the opening, noting that RIC art program graduates have gone on to work at such notable companies as Boeing, National Geographic and Walt Disney Animation.

Big RIC Year Under Carriuolo

Under Carriuolo's direction, RIC oversaw a number of diverse educational and community offerings in 2014.

On the political front, the visit by President Barack Obama in the fall-- which saw lines wrapped around the block to get tickets -- was one of the many highlights of Dr. Carriuolo's year.  

The college hosted an impressive schedule of forums in 2014 as part of its American Democracy Project, headed up by the equally impressive RIC professors Dr. Kay Israel and Valerie Endress -- which included former President Clinton advisor Ira Magaziner, now Vice Chairman and Chief Executive, Office of the Clinton Health Access Initiative, serving as keynote speaker at RIC for “Putting Health Care Reform in Context: A Civil Discussion,” in November.

From politics to environmental policy, Dr. Carriuolo oversaw the unveiling of RICs new outdoor Bee Education Center in October, which will serve as a hub for programming to promote the honeybee’s crucial role in crop production and solutions to the alarming decline of the U.S. honeybee population.  The center will be part of RIC Assistant Professor of Biology Geoffrey Stilwell’s federally funded Honeybee Study, which will develop strategies to increase the state’s honeybee population.

To kick off the new year in 2015, the Rhode Island-Israel College Consortium (Project RIICC), an inter-institutional partnership with RIC and two higher education institutions in Israel – Beit Berl Academic College (BBC) and Oranim Academic College of Education (OAC) – will see an international conference held in Israel in early January entitled “Not in My Backyard: Inter-cultural Inclusion in Educational Systems and in Society,” featuring presentations by RIC faculty.

Project RIICC was initiated in 2011 by Dr. Carriuolo when she traveled to Israel on a group trade mission led by Governor Chafee. “During my visits, I talked with Israeli faculty and administrators about the ways in which RIC and their own institutions might collaborate for the benefit of both,” said Carriuolo. “The trip unearthed numerous possibilities.”

While Dr. Carriuolo might be GoLocal's Woman of the Year for 2014, we expect to see much more from the RIC president -- and RIC -- in the years to come. 

2013

Gina Raimondo 

Lightning Rod. No woman in Rhode Island creates more positive and negative reactions than GoLocalProv’s selection for Woman of the Year in 2013. Her supporters and critics have passionate opinions about her. For some, she is a villain, and they believe she is motivated by Wall Street interests. Her supporters see her as the best Rhode Island has ever produced and one of the few leaders ever to take on the toughest issues facing the state. To them, she attacks the problems selflessly with unmatched skill and intelligence.

She Saved the Pension System and/or Rewarded Wall Street

The 2011 pension reform that Gina Raimondo orchestrated and championed was revolutionary. Make no mistake about it, pension reform was widely supported by business, Governor Lincoln Chafee, Speaker of the House Gordon Fox, Senate President Teresa Paiva Weed and the overwhelming majority of the legislature.

{image_2}Matt Taibbi, who wrote a Rolling Stone magazine feature on Raimondo, "Looting the Pension Funds," takes a harsh look at Rhode Island General Treasurer, writing:

The rap (Raimondo’s argument for pension reform) was so convincing at first that the overwhelmed local burghers of her little petri-dish state didn't even know how to react. "She's Yale, Harvard, Oxford – she worked on Wall Street," says Paul Doughty, the current president of the Providence firefighters union. "Nobody wanted to be the first to raise his hand and admit he didn't know what the f--k she was talking about."

Hedge Funds

According to some, Raimondo has properly diversified Rhode Island’s pension fund by shifting a significant portion of the fund into alternative investments. GoLocal’s MINDSETTER™ John Hazen White vehemently defends her actions.

Correspondingly, GoLocal MINDSETTERS™ like Russ Moore and even conservative Republican Don Roach have raised questions about Raimondo’s motivation. While shifting dollars to hedge funds, from her standpoint, balances the funds, there has been a lack of transparency about fees being charged to the state’s retirement system. Her predecessor, State Treasurer Frank Caprio, has roundly criticized her investment strategy of moving dollars into hedge funds.

Will Raimondo be Rhode Island’s first woman Governor?

Going into the 2014 race for Governor, Raimondo has a number of advantages over the other candidates. She will lead the race in cash on hand with two-to-three times as much money as her opponents. She will have more than $2 million in her coffers. She is the second most popular elected official with 54% approval rate, second only to Providence Mayor Angel Taveras.

Prior to Raimondo, only two women in Rhode Island have won the nomination of a major party to run for Governor. The first was Republican Elizabeth Leonard in 1992, she was beaten soundly Bruce Sundlun. Democrat Myrth York lost her bids for Governor in 1994, 1998 and 2002.

{image_3}Raimondo is a Democrat celebrated by conservatives, a lifelong Democrat roundly criticized by many unions, and a favorite daughter linked to the biggest names on Wall Street. Ultimately, two factors may determine her chances to become Governor: 1) Does the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission investigate her relationship with hedge funds? And 2) does her strategy in managing the investment commission prove successful? If either of these prove to be a misstep, her opportunity to be Rhode Island’s first female governor may be adversely impacted.

Rhode Island born; educated at Harvard, Yale and Oxford; and champion of one of the most important political battles in Rhode Island history –  she now faces the biggest political battle any woman in RI has ever faced.

Gina Raimondo is our selection as Woman of the Year, and our first two-time winner -- she was also selected in 2011.
 

2012

Viola Davis 

Viola Davis is one of the top women in her field in the world, and yet even with fame and global acclaim, she has never forgotten where she came from.

She has gone beyond living the American Dream; the girl from Central Falls has become a symbol for philanthropy and positive change.

Time's 100 Most Influencial

In 2012, Time Magazine named her one of the most influential people in the world and fashion magazine Glamour tagged her as the actress of the year, but GoLocalProv celebrates Davis for her incredible and consistent effort to bring hope and revitalize her community of Central Falls and to support education.

When Central Falls seemed to be at its lowest ebb, Davis stepped forward with donations, appearances and helped to bring the involvement and donations of other high profile Hollywood stars such as Meryl Streep and Alec Baldwin.

Commitment to Community

Davis’ efforts went well beyond Central Falls. She headlined Trinity Rep’s Pell Awards in 2012, helping the theater raise hundreds of thousands of dollars, and she joined with Rhode Island College’s President Nancy Carriuolo to lead an effort to pass a $50 million bond to improve the college.

The two-time Tony Award winner and Oscar nominee seems to have married the concepts of “paying it forward” and “never forget where you came from” and created a masterful concoction of generosity: a model for us all.

For these reasons, Viola Davis is GoLocalProv’s selection as Rhode Island's Woman of the Year.

2011

Gina Raimondo 

It all started with Time magazine in 1927 naming Charles Lindbergh “Man of the Year.” His miraculous trip across the Atlantic changed travel forever and elevated American pride.

In January of 2011, Gina Raimondo took office as General Treasurer and identified and took on the most complex, politically-charged financial and political issue ever to face Rhode Island – a $7.3 billion pension liability.

Not even Bruce Sundlun’s banking crisis and recession equaled this threat to Rhode Island’s economic viability.

RI Born

Even without the pension crisis, Rhode Island has suffered a deep recession and unemployment rate that has been a full point higher than the national rate for more than four years.

Today, Rhode Island is the 48th ranked state in America for doing business according to Forbes magazine and is ranked 50th by CNBC. A collapse of the pension system and further decay in the state’s bond ratings would be devastating.

For years politicians had shirked responsibility and passed the buck. Raimondo, a North Smithfield native, grad of Yale, Harvard and a true Rhodes Scholar, took on the issue with clarity and honesty.

Her training as a venture capitalist gave her the upper hand in analyzing the business issue and crafting a solution. She worked her way across the state and despite constant union criticism she stayed on message and focused on a solution.

Raimondo’s ability to educate the public, stay away from the political firefights, and stick to the issue help Rhode Island avoid a unmatched financial disaster.

Transformative Change

In November, legislation was passed by both Houses and signed by a pro-union governor. The adoption of the legislation could not have been accomplished without the leadership of Gina Raimondo – GoLocal’s Woman of the Year.

Moving forward in 2012, the test for Raimondo will be her willingness to help solve the municipal pension problem. Further, if she has the metal to take it on, the disability pension issue might potentially alienate both the police and firefighter unions.