Raimondo Announces Nominees For URI Board Of Trustees

KINGTSON, RI — Governor Gina Raimondo announced her list of nominees for the new Board of Trustees of the University of Rhode Island. The board will be in charge of overseeing employees, property, purchases and procurement, the governor's office said.

"I am proud to put forth this group of diverse, highly-qualified nominees to serve on the new University of Rhode Island board of trustees," Raimondo said. "Each nominee is a leader in their field and many are textbook examples of how a URI education can prepare students for a successful career. I have complete confidence in their ability to guide URI and continue its legacy of scholastic excellence."

URI President David Dooley thanked the General Assembly for its "vision and foresight" in creating the independent governing body for the school.

"The announcement of the nominees to the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees is a pivotal moment in the continued transformation of the University," Dooley said in a statement. "I appreciate the approach of Governor Raimondo and her team in this endeavor as they consulted with us to develop a list of potential Board members that represents diverse backgrounds and brings valuable expertise and experience to governance of the University."

A description of each nominee from the governor's office is below. All nominees must be approved by the Rhode Island Senate.

• Susan Carson Petrovas '92 is co-founder and President of CDMI Magellan Rx and serves as a member of the URI College of Pharmacy Advisory Council. She received URI's Distinguished Achievement Award in 2019.
• Margo Cook '86 is the President of Nuveen Advisory Services and serves on the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Board of Directors. She serves as Chair of the All Stars Project of Chicago Board and on the national board of the All Stars Project.
• Michael D. Fascitelli '78 H'08 is the founder of MDF Capital, Co-Founder and Managing Partner of Imperial Companies and formerly served as President and CEO of Vornado Trust Realty and President of Alexander’s, Inc. He currently serves as Chair of the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Campaign Committee, a member of the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement Board of Directors and Executive Committee.
• Charles Fogarty MPA'80 is a lifelong Rhode Island public servant, serving most recently as Director of the Division of Elderly Affairs. Previously, he served as the head of the Department of Labor and Training and Director of Policy for the Mayforth Group. From 1999-2007 he served as the Lieutenant Governor of Rhode Island.
• Christine Heenan is the president of Clarendon Group, a strategic communications firm and social impact consulting. She previously served as Senior Vice President for Global Policy and Advocacy at the Rockefeller Foundation, Senior Advisor at the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, and Vice President of Public Affairs and Communications for Harvard University. Christine was a senior policy analyst and speechwriter under President Clinton.
• Richard S. Humphrey has served as Little Compton Town Solicitor for over 30 years. He has been trying civil and criminal cases since 1983, focusing on serious drunk driving cases, complex admiralty matters, construction litigation, municipal law, catastrophic injury claims, and areas involving professional ethics. He has previously served on the Judicial Tenure Commission and the Rhode Island Supreme Court Disciplinary Board. He also lectures on trial practice, ethics, police brutality, legal malpractice, defense, and municipal matters. He is appointed from the list submitted by the Speaker of the House of Representatives.
• Matthew Lenz '11 is the Director of State Government Affairs for the Toy Association. He previously served as Senior Policy Advisor to Attorney General Peter Kilmartin. He is appointed from the list submitted by the President of the Senate.
• Roby Luna '04 is the President & CEO, Aretec Inc. and serves as a member of the URI College of Business Dean’s Advisory Council. Roby received Washington SmartCEO’s Executive Management Award in 2017.
• David Martirano '91 is the Managing Partner of PJC and sits on the Investment Committee for Lifespan. He was previously a member of the URI College of Business Advisory Council.
• Regina McCarthy H'18 served as Administrator of the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency under President Barack Obama from 2013-2017. McCarthy then became a Senior Leadership Fellow at both the Harvard Kennedy School of Government and Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and was appointed Professor od the Practice of Public Health at the Harvard Chan School and Director of the school’s newly created Center for Health and the Global Environment (C-CHANGE). Currently McCarthy is serving as President and CEO of the Natural Resources Defense Council (NRDC) one of the country’s premier environmental advocacy organizations, and acts as Chair of the C-CHANGE Advisory Board.
• Michael F. McNally, MBA'81 P'15 is the former president and CEO of Skanska USA, one of the largest construction/development companies in the U.S.. He serves as a member of the URI President’s Advisory Council and is a URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement trustee. He currently is on the board of directors at Granite Construction, Limbach Holdings, and Terracon Engineers. Mike was chair of the U. S Green Building Council from 2016 - 2019. He is also a member of the CommerceRI Board and the I-195 Commission.
• Dr. Karina Montilla Edmonds '92 is University Lead for Google Cloud at Google Inc. and previously served as Executive Director for Corporate Partnerships at the California Institute of Technology. She also serves on the board for Institute for Pure and Applied Mathematics at UCLA, is a trustee for the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement and was formerly a member of the URI Foundation Board of Directors.
• Vahid Ownjazayeri serves as Chief Growth and Strategy Officer at AECOM. Prior to serving as Chief Growth and Strategy Officer, he served as AECOM President of Global Infrastructure. He was previously the executive vice president of The Shaw Group’s Environmental & Infrastructure division as well as president of its Commercial, State and Local division.
• Yahaira "Jay" Placencia '01 is Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank. Jay is a member of the Rhode Island Commodores, serves on the Rhode Island Foundation Impact Investment Committee. She serves on the board of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce Board and is a trustee of the University of Rhode Island Foundation. She is also a member of the CCRI Foundation Board, Trinity Repertory Company board of directors and the Champlin Foundation Board.
• Cecilia Rouse is Dean of the Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs at Princeton University. She is the founding director of the Princeton University Education Research Section and has served on the National Economic Council and the President’s Council of Economic Advisors. Cecilia currently sits on the boards of the National Bureau of Economic Research, the Council on Foreign Relations, and the Pennington School.
• Thomas Ryan '75 H'99 is a former President and CEO of CVS and Director of Five Below who currently works as Operating Partner of Advent International and Director of PJT Partners. He serves as Chair of the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement Board of Directors, a member of the URI Foundation and Alumni Engagement Campaign Committee, and the URI President’s Advisory Council.
• Armand E. Sabitoni '73 has served as General Secretary-Treasurer, LIUNA’s second highest ranking office, since 2001. He also serves as New England Regional Manager, representing members across the six New England states, as well as New York State.