Rep. Abney Named a Henry Toll Fellow

Newport and Middletown Rep. Marvin L. Abney has been selected to be one of 48 state policymakers around the country as a Council of State Governments’ Henry Toll Fellow for the Class of 2015.

The Toll Fellowship program is one of the nation’s most prestigious leadership development programs for state government officials who gather for a six-day, five night ”intellectual boot camp” in Lexington, KY.

Being selected is considered a mark of honor and for Abney, it’s a feather in his legislative cap. And it comes early in his career as an elected member of the Rhode Island General Assembly; he was first elected in 2012.

“Public service is vital in a free and democratic society,” Abney said. “I believe that public servants should strive to get better at their craft every day. The Henry Toll Fellowship Program provides that opportunity.”

During his fellowship, Abney will meet a lineup of speakers and engage in sessions “designed to simulate personal assessment and growth.”

It’s also a chance for some of the key people in leadership positions around the country to network, compare notes and find similarities and differences between the challenges each face back home.

“The Toll Fellowship remains the oldest and most prestigious of all leadership development programs for elected officials,” said David Adkins, CSG’s executive director/CEO. “Its impact is profound and its quality is renowned. As a Toll Fellow from 1993, I know first hand the impact the program has on elected officials.”

Adkins was a 1993 Toll Fellow when he served as a Kansas state representative.

Toll Fellows alumni include U.S. Rep. John Carney, a former Delaware lieutenant governor; former U.S. Rep. Colleen Hanabusa, a former Hawaii state Senate president; U.S. Rep. Todd Rokita, a former Indiana secretary of state; former North Carolina Gov. Beverly Perdue and former U.S. Labor Secretary Hilda Solis.

Abney said it is essential that legislators understand their strengths and weaknesses.

“My state is in the middle of rebuilding after the last recession,” Abney said. “Other legislators have survived similar environments and are doing well for their district and state. I simply want to learn from successful legislators. I believe that the more time I spend learning the craft of being an effective legislator, the less precious time I will spend on ineffective measures and policies.”

Last year, Portsmouth and Tiverton Rep. John Edwards was selected to be a Toll Fellow after being nominated by Speaker of the House Nicholas Mattiello.

Candidates were selected by a nine-member committee of state leaders, many of whom were former Toll Fellows themselves.

The Toll Fellowship Program is named after CSG founder Henry Wolcott Toll.

This year’s program will be held Aug. 28-Sept. 2 in Lexington.

Though Abney was first elected in 2012, he has put in years of service to the community by serving on numerous boards and committees, including the Newport Zoning Board, the board of the Martin Luther King Jr. Center and Salve Regina University’s Internal Review board, among others.

Abney is a retired United States Army Major who served 20-years in the Army. He spent time as the company commander at NATO Headquarters in Belgium.

During his career, he’s also worked as assistant to the commissioner at the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education.