Pete is the Chief Business Development Officer for the University of Rhode Island’s Research Foundation and is responsible for the development and implementation of growth strategies to achieve the mission and revenue goals of the organization. The URI Research Foundation oversees the commercialization of protected intellectual property, and the development of business relationships and driving economic development with corporate and government partners for URI.

Pete joined URI with more than 30 years of high-tech experience focused on achieving top- and bottom-line results, building and coaching strong global customer-facing teams, and developing critical strategic partnerships. Pete has proven success in start-up, growth, enterprise/fortune and turn-around global organizations from $0 to $1.5B+ in revenues.

Immediately prior to his current role, Pete was the Director of the Rhode Island Innovation Campus Initiative, reporting to RI Commerce Secretary Pryor and Governor (now US Commerce Secretary) Gina Raimondo, and was responsible for overseeing the attraction of prospective participants, connecting stakeholders, and helping to administer the application and selection process. The RI Innovation Campuses bring together industry, academic, and research entities, in partnership with the University of RI, into a common physical facility and business sector focus, and foster collaboration on best-in-class innovative solutions, to create and grow high-value jobs while catalyzing private-sector investment in Rhode Island.
Pete’s prior background includes high-profile executive management and business roles with Lighting Science Group as Executive VP of Business Development; B2Q Technologies as a Co-founder and Principal; Boston-Power as Chief Customer Officer; Wright Line/Eaton Corp as VP of Sales and Marketing, where he was instrumental in its sale to Eaton Corp.; American Power Conversion, with influential sales, marketing and global operational positions over his 14-year tenure as Executive Vice President of Global Sales, VP of Global Enterprise Solutions Group, General Manager and Vice President of Asia and Latin America, and Director of Global Strategic Partnerships; and Equity National as Chief Operating Officer. Pete served as an officer in the United States Air Force Intelligence Command’s Electronic Warfare Center (AFEWC) during Desert Storm and Desert Shield and was a recipient of both the Meritorious Service and Air Force Achievement Medals. Pete earned a BSEE with honors from Cornell University, and attended executive development programs at both Stanford and Harvard University.

Hamza helps clients achieve their business objectives and goals through custom-tailored legal solutions. He represents clients in a wide range of civil matters in state and federal court. Hamza is committed to providing excellence to his clients through his solid work-ethic, combined with effective and efficient representation. His background in real estate and computer science assists him in advising clients in a wide range of matters.
Hamza has significant experience in cases involving real estate, land use and zoning matters, including all phases of development and permitting. Moreover, Hamza has successfully litigated land use and zoning matters in the Rhode Island Superior Court and Supreme Court, including winning a case on behalf of a client on a matter of first-impression. Hamza also uses his prior real estate experience in delivering results for clients in municipal tax appeal cases.

Prior to joining Adler Pollock and Sheehan, Hamza served as a real estate analyst for a commercial real estate firm appraising property across Rhode Island and Massachusetts. He also served as a lobbyist and spokesperson for several successful initiatives before the Connecticut Legislature. Hamza also served as an advisor and lecturer for the National Student Leadership Conference in Washington D.C., New York and in several countries across Europe.

Hamza is civic-minded and is committed to serving the community. In 2009, he coordinated a highly acclaimed symposium highlighting violence on college campuses and the appropriate institutional responses in light of the Virginia Tech tragedy and other events.

Oliver has spent his entire career in financial services beginning with Rhode Island Hospital Trust in 1989. He has held several positions of increasing responsibility including Vice President for a large Massachusetts based insurance company. In 2002, Oliver established Randall Financial Group, LLC, realizing a lifelong dream of creating a firm offering the very best in personalized financial planning and investment management to individuals in southern New England.

Oliver is a 1991 graduate of the University of Rhode Island with a degree in finance. He is a Certified Financial Planner designee, having received his certificate in financial planning from the Denver College of Financial Planning in 1996. He has also acted as an instructor at Bryant University in Smithfield, RI where he has taught investments toaspiring financial planners.

Oliver is currently the host of The Money Pro$ television show on Fox Providence. He has written a financial column for the East Bay News Papers and has been quoted in several financial publications including SmartMoney and U.S. New and World Report. He has hosted a weekly call-in talk radio show on personal finance and has led hundreds of workshops and presentations on investment management and financial planning. He is also a member of the RI and national chapters of the Financial Planning Association and serves on the board of the Barrington Yacht Club.

Oliver lives with his wife and four children in Barrington, RI. In his free time, he enjoys going to the beach with his family, sailing, and cruising the waters of Southern New England.

Ashia Graziano is the Associate Director of Parent and Family Giving at Brown University. Ashia is responsible for conceiving, developing, and implementing the external programming and internal relationships between the University and the non-alumni families of undergraduates. Additionally, she manages a portfolio of families who are philanthropically engaged with the University. Ashia’s work has contributed to Brown boasting the top parents program in the country for a number of years. Ashia brings over a dozen years of development experience to this role.

Prior to joining the Office of Parent and Family Giving, Ashia managed the Brown Women’s Leadership Council. In this role she oversaw the 72-member active presidential advisory council and managed the 125 Years of Women at Brown Conference which brought together over 700 Brown alumnae during a two-day conference with 26 distinct offerings featuring 77 female speakers including Janet Yellen, then Chair of the Federal Reserve, and world-renowned fashion designer, Diane von Furstenberg. The conference garnered significant attention and was covered by over 14 national media outlets including The New York Times, The Wall Street Journal, and CNN.

Ashia completed her undergraduate studies at Assumption University where she received her Bachelor of Arts in Global Studies with a minor in Theology. Ashia is a current member of the R.I.S.E. Women’s Leadership Conference Advisory Council and a graduate of the 2019 Leadership Rhode Island Core Program.

Ashia was born in Dominican Republic and has resided in Rhode Island since the age of six. She lives in Cranston with her husband John, and two young daughters, Olivia and Addison.

Ernie is currently the Executive Director of the RI League of Cities and Towns, having been appointed to this position in May of 2022. Ernie leads a team of professionals tasked with leadership and financial training, process improvement and advocacy for all thirty-nine cities and towns local governments in Rhode Island.

He was appointed by the Secretary of Defense to be the RI Chairman of the RI Employer Support of the Guard and Reserve in 2021, a position he held in the early 2000s. The Secretary of the Army recently appointed him as the Army Reserve Ambassador for the State of Rhode Island.

Ernie spent 16 years as the R.I. Auditor General where he was responsible for the State of Rhode Island financial, performance and fraud audits. He went on to become the Chairman of the Audit Committee for the Department of Defense appointed by both President George Bush and reappointed by President Obama. He worked for Secretaries of Defense Gates, Panetta, and Hagel. Ernie currently serves on the Blue Cross RI board of Directors and the Chairman of the RI Convention Center Authority.
He is a former Chief of Staff to Lt Governor Sabina Matos, an Associate Director of the RI Department of Health, and National Partner of RSM US LLP, the fifth largest accounting and consulting firm in the world.

He has served in numerous positions as Chairperson of audit committees including universities, the Department of Defense Audit Advisory Committee at the Pentagon, and as a member of the Government Auditing Standards Committee for the Comptroller General of the U.S. Ernie was named twice in the top 100 CPAs in the country by Accounting Today.

Ting Barnard graduated from Boston University in 2002 with a degree in Sociology. Upon graduation, she started her 10-year career in the Investment World as a Chief Relationship Officer for firms such as Boldwater Capital Management, Deutsche Asset Management and Lehman Brothers in Boston and New York City.

Ting currently owns a woman’s fashion line named after her mother Tong (Tong means “gold” in Thai) and works independently as a Marketing Consultant and Brand Ambassador promoting local artists and non-profit organizations at Ting Barnard's Studio.

Ting is closely involved with several local organizations: StyleWeek, SEED Innovation Meets Education, Year Up - RI, Amos House, PVD Lady Project, Summit Neighborhood Association, Children's Friend and Lincoln School. She was also part of Leadership Rhode Island’s Lambda II Class, served as the Program Co-Chair for the 2016 MU II Class and is an LRI-certified Strengths Coach.

Ting strongly believes in philanthropy and emphasizes the importance of being actively engaged in one’s community...”LOVE where you live...”

John has been building software and leading technology teams for 30 years. Currently, John is an independent consultant, helping his clients design, build and scale their software and teams to achieve the highest quality and reliability with small, highly effective teams. Security and the ethical use of software and data are always key considerations in his work.

John was previously a Principal at Nevo Technologies, a software consultancy based in Cambridge, MA. In that role, he was responsible for all aspects of client engagements, including business development, client relationships, software architecture and hands-on coding. As VP of Engineering at Huge - one of the world's leading digital agencies - John led a team of 80 developers, testers and architects, overseeing the delivery of projects for clients such as AARP, Comcast, Google, Mass Mutual, and NYU Langone Medical Center. As Principal Engineer at NBC News Digital, he spearheaded the design and development of a new software system used by NBC News websites and apps to support hundreds of millions of users, with hourly code deployments and near-zero downtime.

John is an active advisor at Providence's Social Enterprise Greenhouse. In the past, he has volunteered with iMentor, Malaika, and Blue Ridge Labs.

John lives in Warwick, RI. In his free time, he is an avid sailor, an amateur blacksmith and the parent of an extremely spoiled cattle dog. He majored in Russian and Soviet Studies at Harvard College.

Sharon dedicated much of her life to serving as the Executive Director of West Elmwood Housing Development Corporation (WEHDC), recently retiring after 29 years. Under her leadership, over $122 million was invested in real estate and community development and an additional $4 million for lending. WEHDC became a NeighborWorks America chartered member and a US Department of Treasury certified Community Development Financial Institution. The agency holds several national certifications including Green Organization, Home Ownership Center, Full Cycle Lender, and HUD-approved Counseling Agency. Their real estate developments have ranged from single-family new construction to sophisticated historic brownfield mills to mixed-income, mixed-use rental projects.

Sharon is a recipient of many accolades including the 2019 United Way RI John H. Chafee Lifetime Service Award and the 2018 Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Award for Health Equity.

William (Bill) Fitzgerald is Vice President of Sales & Client Services at Amica Mutual Insurance Company and a graduate of the 2018 Leadership Rhode Island Core Program. Bill received his bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of South Florida and has built his career in sales, underwriting and insurance operations over the past 30 years. Bill also has experience in CRM implementation, reinsurance, market expansion and creating new distribution channels.

Bill holds the designations of Chartered Property Casualty Underwriter (CPCU), Chartered Life Underwriter (CLU), Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC) and Chartered Leadership Fellow (CLF). Bill is a regular guest speaker on sales, underwriting and risk management at Providence College.

Along with serving on the Leadership Rhode Island Board of Governors, Bill has served on the Board of Directors of the Rhode Island Free Clinic since 2009 and he’s currently President Emeritus. Prior to this, Bill served as President of the Rhode Island Association of Insurance and Financial Advisors.

Bill resides in Bristol with his wife Colleen and has two daughters, Abby who works for United Bank in Washington D.C. and Grace who is a senior at Sacred Heart University.

Sean serves as Counsel in the Employment and Litigation practice groups for Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP (“PSH”), where he focuses on employment law compliance and employer-side litigation. Sean counsels businesses on new and existing employment law compliance, handles all aspects of collective bargaining agreements, and represents employers who have been sued by their employees for discrimination and wage and hour claims. Sean also provides trainings to employers on employee discipline, performance management, promotions and terminations, and union grievance procedures and best practices. Prior to PSH, Sean led the Legal Division at the Rhode Island Department of Labor and Training (“DLT”), serving under three administrations. This experience has given Sean the unique ability to render practical advice to employers regarding equal pay laws and corresponding self-audits.

Sean is a graduate of Boston College Law School and licensed to practice law in Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and New York. He has over 19 years of legal experience in labor and employment law, civil litigation, corporate law, and intellectual property law and is a frequent lecturer on current topics in labor and employment law.

Sean also holds an Executive Leadership Certificate from Harvard Kennedy School of Government and holds government and private board appointments for the Town of Randolph Zoning Board of Appeals, Town of Randolph Redevelopment Authority, Thurgood Marshal Law Society, the Boston College Black Alumni Network, and the Boston College Law School/Rappaport Center for Law. He is a member of the Sigma II class of Leadership Rhode Island and actively serves on their Board of Governors.

At an early age, Sean witnessed his mother return to school to get her high school general equivalency diploma and attend community college at night while working a full-time job during the day. His father worked multiple jobs in manual labor while tutoring Sean in additions and subtractions in the evening, even though he only had a sixth-grade education. Sean’s father left school in the sixth grade to help his sharecropping family on the plantations of Virginia.

In addition to a strong work ethic and the value of education, Sean’s parents taught Sean the importance and power of a multi-racial society. When Sean was about four years old, during the tail end of the Boston busing crisis in the late 1970s, Sean saw his mother and her best friend, Marie Doherty, an Irish woman from South Boston, maintain their sisterhood despite the racial calamity surrounding them, particularly with regard to the South Boston neighborhood, where it was understood that African Americans were not welcome and could face physical danger being in this neighborhood. Sean’s mother and Marie never let these issues get in the way of their relationship. In fact, Marie is the person who named Sean. While Sean’s mother was still pregnant with him, Marie explained to Sean’s mother and father that “Sean” was the Gaelic translation of Sean’s father’s name, “John,” and begged them to name him “Sean Michael,” which they did.

One of Sean’s most important philanthropic accomplishments has been providing pro bono legal services for the Community Mentoring Team, a non-profit organization that partners with licensed construction trade unions and commercial developers to mentor and get inner-city men and women of color into highly skilled and highly paid union apprenticeship programs and working on major commercial development projects. Over the last five years, the organization has gotten over 100 men and women of color into licensed construction apprentice programs, allowing for generational racial barriers to be broken and generational wealth to be achieved for the first time for many of the participants.

By day, Greg Garvin is a Preconstruction Manager and Purchasing Team Leader for Gilbane Building Company, a 150 year old, family-run, multi-national Construction Management firm. In his role he brings his eye for risk management and strategic thinking to ensure that large, complex construction projects are set up for success. During his 15 year career at Gilbane, Greg has performed roles across many different functions, which has provided him with a wide array of skills and a multidisciplinary perspective. Having operated primarily in Rhode Island and Boston, Greg has experience with a broad spectrum of markets such as: K-12, Life Sciences, Higher Education, Sports & Entertainment, Healthcare and Corporate Office.

Greg received a BS degree in Construction Management with a minor in Business in 2006 at Roger Williams University in Bristol, Rhode Island. Dedicated to reinvesting in his alma mater, Greg has sat on the CM Professional Advisory Board at Roger Williams for nearly a decade. Greg is currently the Vice-Chair of the Board and co-chair of the Academic Committee where he enjoys arranging and leading guest lectures that accents the curriculum with valuable industry experience. Greg also serves on the Board of Governors for Saha Global, a 501(c)(3) organization that helps entrepreneurial women provide safe, clean drinking water to rural villages in Northern Region of Ghana.

In life, Greg is passionate about rootedness and the power of place, which he attributes to his upbringing on a 3rd generation dairy and beef farm in rural New Hampshire. He believes that local communitarianism is the key to resiliency in the face of current and future social, economic and climate challenges. Greg is a member of Strong Towns and Southside Community Land Trust, and his hobbies include gardening, enjoying the outdoors, reading, and listening to podcasts & music. Greg lives in Providence, Rhode Island with his lovely wife and two energetic children.

Vinny Gebhart joined the Leadership Rhode Island Board of Governors in 2017. He is a class member of the 2015 Lambda II class and was selected by his peers as Class Speaker.

Outside of Leadership Rhode Island, Vinny is active civically, serving as an elected member of the Warwick City Council, board member for Warwick Police Athletic League, and as founding President of the Cowesett Heights Neighborhood Association. He also enjoys mentoring startup execs and founders through work with First Round Capital and others.

Professionally, Vinny is the Vice President of Operations and Customer Success at Powerhouse Dynamics, a division of Middleby Corp. In this role, he is responsible for leading Powerhouse Dynamics strategy and efforts to create a consistently great experience for customers and their employees.

Vinny is a proud graduate of Providence College with a B.S. in Computer Science.

Brett Gerstenblatt has led the development of corporate branding, marketing and communications programs for progressive companies for more than three decades. He has advised C-suite executives and collaborated with leadership at a broad range of organizations including nonprofits, startups and Fortune 500s, helping them pursue new strategies, respond to competitive challenges and adapt to changing environments.

From 2013-2023, while at CVS Health, he played a core role in the company’s campaign to exit tobacco, the development and launch of the CVS Health brand and the transformation of the company from being America’s corner drug store to the largest consumer healthcare company in the United States, moving it to 6th place on the Fortune 500. During that time, CVS earned the highest national reputation in healthcare, became the most trusted retailer in America and consistently gained market share.

As Vice President, Brand Experience, Creativity & Design, Brett founded and led the award-winning in-house creative agency, Heart Haus. He and his team partnered with senior leaders to advance the company’s purpose, strategy and values and led human-centered transformation efforts and the ideation and implementation of customer experience strategies — including the accompanying marketing, advertising, communications and activations.

Before joining CVS Health, he was a consultant and design expert at McKinsey & Company, as well as an entrepreneur, business owner, practice leader at a digital marketing agency and creative director at several preeminent design firms. He has been a guest lecturer and critic at Bryant University, Parsons New School of Design, the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford, the Graduate Center, CUNY and Columbia University. Brett completed his senior thesis at the Rhode Island School of Design and studied abroad at the Hogeschool voor de Kunsten Arnhem and the University of Haifa. He earned a Bachelor of Fine Arts in Visual Communications from the Hartford Art School, University of Hartford.

Priscilla Gonzalez-Santos is the Human Resources Business Partner for the Global Consumer Products teams at Hasbro. In this role she assesses, anticipates and facilitates organizational and people related strategies that align and drive short and long-term business direction.

Prior to joining Hasbro, Priscilla served as the Director of Human Resources at Edesia, a U.S. non-profit, social enterprise, with a mission to treat and prevent malnutrition in developing countries worldwide. In this role she oversaw all functions of the Human Resources Department. She has prior experience working outside of Human Resources in specialized roles in marketing, public relations and event planning.

Priscilla holds a B.A. in Communications and a minor in Women Studies from Rhode Island College. In 2014 she received her certification in Human Resources Management from Bryant University. In 2017 she graduated from Leadership Rhode Island’s Core Program. She is a member of the Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) of Rhode Island and serves in the Leadership Rhode Island Board of Governors.

She lives in Rhode Island with her husband and two children.

Jen is a master group facilitator, trainer, leadership coach and keynote who believes every person is worthy of learning, working and earning to their full potential.

Gifted for galvanizing audiences, Jen is a lightning bolt for engagement - in person and remote. She brings over 20 years experience in strength-based strategic planning (not SWOT, but SOAR), leadership development (to go higher, go deeper), and culture building (name, measure and manage your values - really). Her clients span cities, schools, Fortune 500 companies, government agencies, and indigenous villages around the world.

Jen has a knack for facilitating rich and brave dialogue, a skill that has supported some of the highest rankings of the CIA, refugee camp survivors in post-civil war Liberia, and a statewide strategic planning process that engaged over 13,000 persons on complex issues such as education equity and earning power. All of her work is grounded in positive psychology and neuroscience.

Prior to founding her own practice, Jen was an Organization Development (OD) consultant and leadership coach for BearingPoint, EDS, PriceWaterhouseCoopers, and IBM. Infusing her strength-based work into her personal life, she co-authored the book "Positive Family Dynamics: Appreciative Inquiry Questions to Bring Out the Best in Families". Jen holds a Masters of Science degree in Organization Development from Johns Hopkins University, as well as a dual BS in Economics and in International Studies from American University.

A serial mentor to women and youth, Jen also serves on the Board of the Girl Scouts of Southeastern New England. A TEDx speaker and emcee, champion of inclusive workplaces and student voice, and marathon coach turned soccer mom to two powerhouse girls, Jen is based in southern Rhode Island, where she is a paddle boarding trail hiking dog loving yogi.

Michele is the Vice President of Gas for Rhode Island Energy (RIE) and is responsible for the safe, reliable, and cost-effective operation of Rhode Island’s natural gas distribution system. She oversees natural gas supply procurement, gas control, resource and investment planning, gas asset management and engineering, and operation of the gas distribution system and RIE’s two liquified natural gas plants. Prior to taking on this role in 2022, Michele held numerous roles during her 22 year career at National Grid in a variety of areas across New England and globally, including Director of Rhode Island Gas Operations, Director of Group Sustainability and Environment, Director of Rhode Island Strategy and Performance Management, Director of Electric Business Planning and Performance, and Manager of New England and Upstate NY Site Investigation and Remediation.

Michele holds a Bachelor’s of Science in Environmental Engineering, graduating summa cum laude from Syracuse University, and a Master’s of Science in Engineering in Environmental Engineering, graduating from the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor.

Michele was a member of the 2016 Mu II LRI Core Program Class (best class ever!).

Michele lives in southern Massachusetts with her husband and son. She enjoys spending time with her family, traveling and spending time at the ocean.