Overview
The Leadership Rhode Island Women’s Network (LRIWN) seeks to empower, support and inspire women to connect more concretely on professional, personal and policy interests, and also to create meaningful and positive change in the community. The network was formed by women in the Mu II class after they graduated from LRI’s core program in 2016.
Steering Committee

Prutha Patel
Chair, LRI '16
Vice President, Patel Investments
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Responsibility
- Strategic
- Learner
- Achiever
- Relator
Prutha is Vice President of Patel Investments, a real estate investments portfolio consisting of 50 commercial and residential units. A 2012 graduate of Boston University, Prutha is also active in the community. She is President of the Board for The Lady Project, a Board Member of Sojourner House, a Board Member of the Dexter Donation Commission, and a member of the Executive Leadership Team of the Heart Ball Committee for the American Heart Association. Passionate about raising awareness for Lupus, she founded the RI Lupus Support Group in 2016.

Margie O’Brien Reed
Member, LRI '16
Host, RI Capitol TV
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Woo
- Activator
- Futuristic
- Positivity
- Achiever
Margie has been telling stories for over 20 years as an award-winning news reporter, anchor and, since 2015, Host of RI Capitol TV. She also is the founder of Image, a consulting company to assist individuals and organizations with media, messaging and strengths training. She majored in political science as an undergraduate at St. Anselm College and holds a master’s degree in communications/broadcast journalism from Emerson College. LRI’s Mu II’s chose Margie to be the class graduation speaker in 2016. Margie lives in Barrington with her husband, Todd Reed, and three children, Camden, Cole and Delaney.

Natalia Lima
Member, LRI '16
Vice President, Community Development Market Manager II, Citizens Bank
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Achiever
- Responsibility
- Discipline
- Input
- Positivity
With a diverse background in both the for-profit and non-profit sectors of business, Natalia Lima enjoys building relationships with both individuals and community partners. She pursues opportunities to connect with the community and make an impact on those that need it most.
Natalia serves as an Adjunct Faculty member at Community College teaching core business management courses. She also previously taught at Johnson & Wales University from 2017 to 2019. Natalia is currently the VP, Community Development Market Manager II & CRA Officer at Citizens Bank in the Boston region.
Natalia is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island MU II Class of 2016 and a founding member of LRI’s Women’s Network Steering Committee, whose mission is to empower, support, and inspire women to connect more concretely on professional, personal, and policy interests, and to create meaningful and positive change in the community. Natalia is also a current Board Member for Books are Wings.
Natalia lives in Riverside with her husband, Joseph, her two daughters, Kelsey and Alexandra, and her pet, Sophie.

Cheryl Shaw
Member, LRI '16
Enterprise Intranet Content Editor, CVS Health
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Learner
- Restorative
- Connectedness
- Relator
- Discipline
Cheryl is the Enterprise Intranet Content Editor at CVS Health. She also serves on the boards for The Avenue Concept and The Providence Singers and is a former member of the board of the East Providence Arts Council which won First Place in the 2018 Providence Journal Readers’ Choice awards for Best Local Event and Best Festival for “The Looff – A Whirlwind of Art, Music and Life.”

Jenna Giguere
Member, LRI '19
Deputy Chief of Legal Services, Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Achiever
- Focus
- Ideation
- Input
- Learner
As Deputy Chief of Legal Services for the Rhode Island Department of Business Regulation, Jenna provides in-house legal services to various Department divisions and represents the Department in quasi-judicial administrative hearings and Superior Court appeals, with current focus areas including Banking, Liquor, Medical Marijuana, and Board of Accountancy.
She finds particular satisfaction in identifying opportunities for process improvements and working collaboratively with businesses on complex business licensing and regulatory compliance issues. She is a proud graduate of the Leadership Rhode Island Class of 2019. She serves in a leadership role in the Rhode Island Bar Association as a Delegate in the House of Delegates and Chair of the Government Lawyers Committee. She also serves as Chair of the Northern Region for the National Conference of State Liquor Administrators. Her pro bono legal work has focused on supervising Roger Williams Law students helping incarcerated individuals with civil law issues.

Nancy Serpa
Member, LRI '20
IT Program Manager, Sensata Technologies
- CliftonStrengths Top 5:
- Arranger
- Communication
- Positivity
- Activator
- Relator
Nancy Serpa is a proud graduate of the Leadership RI 2020 Pi II Class (Semper Pi!). She has over thirty years of program management, Agile product development, management consulting and financial management experience. She has a strong drive and focus on the customer experience and delivery execution. Nancy currently works at Sensata Technologies as an IT Program Manager implementing global supply chain technology solutions. Prior to Sensata, Nancy has worked at Fidelity Investments, Pittiglio, Rabin, Todd & McGrath, AT Kearney, Oracle Corporation and Digital Equipment Corporation. Nancy serves in many board leadership and volunteer roles including the Sensata Technologies Foundation, Books Are Wings, The United Way of Rhode Island, Women United and The Junior League of Rhode Island. She is also a YMCA Level II Swim Official and a parent volunteer at the St. Philomena School. Nancy holds a Masters of Science in Industrial Administration (MBA) from Carnegie Mellon University and a Bachelor of Science in Finance from Providence College. She currently resides in Newport RI with her husband Tom and daughter Avary. She loves to attend the theatre, concerts and museums, travel the world, dine out and explore the great outdoors.
Past Events
November 16, 2020
Is the School Year Working?: Education in RI During a Volatile Climate (Watch the Recording)
Moderated by Margie O’Brien Reed (LRI ’16) this panel looked at Education in Rhode Island during the time of the Coronavirus Pandemic. Panelists included:
Education Commissioner Angélica Infante-Green
Sulina Mohanty (CLRI ’06), Principal at BrightSpot Leadership
Daniela Fairchild (LRI ’18), Director of Operations and Special Projects for the Rhode Island Commerce Corporation
Rich Norris, Assistant principal at 360 High School
September 24, 2020
Permission to Thrive: Self-care Strategies in Uncertain Times (Watch the Recording)
Self-care Strategist and Founder of bnourished, Katie McDonald (LRI ’16) focused on leveraging the chaos around us, and turning inward to work toward growth.
July 27, 2020
Leading With Compassion
Christine King (LRI ’16) lead a conversation on transforming awareness of one’s mental health into compassion and care for our greater communities during times of stress.
June 17, 2020
Be Kind To Yourself (Watch the Recording)
This event brought together physician and psychologist viewpoints on mental health and well being during this challenging time of the COVID-19 pandemic.
February 11, 2020
Entrepreneurship: Do It Your Way
Through a three-person moderated panel— Angela Bannerman Ankoma (LRI ’14), Katie McDonald (LRI ’14), Hilina Ajakaiye (LRI ’19), and Kaitlyn Roberts — moderated by Margie O’Brien Reed (LRI ’16), this event highlighted women who started their own businesses, be it from scratch ,or by transitioning into new positions in different fields. They shared how they got started, why they did it, and the obstacles they had to overcome.
April 2, 2019
RI Women: Past, Present and Future
Through a three-person moderated panel—Henrietta White-Holder (LRI ’11), Senator Ana Quezada and Delia Rodriguez-Masjoan (LRI ’96)—moderated by Margie O’Brien Reed (LRI ’16) This event showcased the power of Rhode Island women, past and present. The historical narrative covered pioneer Anne Hutchinson as well as other notable women who helped to transform a state, run by predominately male leadership and, as a result, created new opportunities for women.
September 17, 2018
“Meet and Greet”
The LRIWN Group Steering Committee members were introduced and plans for future events and socials were outlined.
November 16, 2017
Issues facing Immigrants in Rhode Island
Through a three-person moderated panel—Henrietta White-Holder (LRI ’11), Senator Ana Quezada and Delia Rodriguez-Masjoan (LRI ’96)—moderated by Margie O’Brien Reed (LRI ’16), the discussion highlighted the positive work being done to serve the population and discuss the hardships and needs of the programs within our state. It focused on the ways we build an all-inclusive community, integrating immigrants into the existing society, while also preserving cultural heritage.
June 14, 2017
Screening of the documentary, 13th, and panel discussion
13th is a documentary directed by Ava DuVernay (Selma) that looks at the policies and environments from slavery to present day that have shaped and an amplified the crisis of mass incarceration our nation faces today.
May 31, 2017
The Status of Working Women in RI
Women’s Fund Executive Director Kelly Nevins presented attendees with benchmarks of where women stand in Rhode Island in comparison to other states.