Make RI Stronger Announces New Coaching Cadre

Since 2014, LRI has brought CliftonStrengths trainings to businesses, state agencies, and nonprofits in Rhode Island and beyond. Our LRI-certified Strengths Coaches have helped thousands of individuals to discover their unique strengths — in 2020 alone, we trained over 1,200 managers, employees, job-seekers, and students.

LRI’s CliftonStrengths offerings are customized to meet the needs and goals of your organization. Our orientation and follow-up training sessions introduce participants to the strengths-based development philosophy and promote exploration of individual and collective strengths. LRI’s management training series helps supervisors to build management practices that are strengths-based, engagement-focused, and performance-oriented. And our leadership trainings equip members of the executive leadership team with strategies for integrating strengths into organizational culture, ensuring long-term sustainability.

Interested in helping your team to explore and leverage their strengths to maximize performance in 2021? Contact Abby Montine, Training Administrator, at amontine@leadershipri.org.

 

Introducing the 11 New LRI-certified Strengths Coaches

 

Chachi Carvalho (LRI ‘20)

Strategic – Maximizer – WOO – Communication – Includer
Adaptability – Developer – Positivity – Futuristic – Ideation

Chachi Carvalho is a multi-talented artist and educator who comes from a long line of musicians and singers. He is a native born-and-raised Rhode Islander with roots that stem from the islands of Cabo Verde. Throughout his music career, he’s won acclaim from Vibe magazine in its roundup of the best MCs state to state, and he was a two-time winner of the Wild Out Wednesdays competition on BET’s 106 & Park. 

Chachi was also awarded the 2014 Cape Verdean Music Award for best hip-hop act. He has also received awards and citations of recognition for community advocacy from various organizations in the communities he serves. He is a registered artist-educator with Rhode Island State Council on the Arts and a registered touring artist with New England Federation of Artists. He is a former board member of AS220 and Advisory Council for the AS220 Youth program, he is a member of the Pawtucket Arts Festival Board of Directors and he is a member of the Recycle-A-Bike Board of Directors.

Chachi has a clear passion for both music and education. He is the co-owner of Beatbox Studio in Pawtucket where he has created and facilitated numerous youth mentoring programs over the years. He has been able to create opportunities to fuse the two worlds by facilitating lecture/performances at Roger Williams University, Trinity College, Providence College, UMASS Boston and Harvard. He recently taught a Master’s Class in Live Performance at Brown University. He had the extreme pleasure of delivering the keynote address at the 2017 Shea High school graduation, where he started his music career in the early 90’s, graduated from in 1995 and was recently hired to serve as the School Culture and Community Engagement Coordinator. Chachi Carvalho consistently finds a way to reinvent himself as an artist, an educator, and a man. He will continue to carve out his legacy and leave his mark on the world through musical inspiration and community organization.

 

Sterling Clinton-Spellman (LRI ‘19) 

Activator – Positivity – Communication – Connectedness – Includer 

Ideation – Relator – WOO – Self-Assurance – Futuristic

 

Sterling Clinton-Spellman is an entrepreneur, visionary. coach, consultant, speaker, author, mentor, wife, mother, and founder of the Refine, Lead and Profit Incubator, Cultivating Visionaries to Live Profitable Lives by providing them with the tools, resources, network, and accountability.

She earned her bachelor of arts degree in Communications and Business from the College of New Rochelle in New York and then

her master of science degree in education from Mercy College. After serving as an educator for many years, she pursued her dreams of becoming a “mommypreneur.”

Today, she inspires visionaries around the world through her workshops and seminars that focus on ways to hone God-given gifts and raise self-esteem, all the while becoming socially aware global citizens. She has partnered with over 180 speakers and is the author of four books.

Clinton-Spellman currently resides in Providence, Rhode Island, with her husband, Russell Spellman, and their daughters, Hasana and Harmony. She and her husband also deliver delicious meals to their community through the Incredabowls Food Truck.

 

Jenica Conley (LRI ‘16)

Individualization – Empathy – Developer – Connectedness – Restorative

Consistency – Analytical – Command – Deliberative – Activator

 

Jenica Reed Conley has nearly 10 years of experience working and volunteering for nonprofit organizations in the area. She has led marketing, special event, and education efforts for Rhode Island Housing, The Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, and The Providence Singers. As a singer herself, she has an extensive performance history in musical theater, opera and choral singing.

Originally from Florida, Jenica holds an MA degree from Florida State University in Arts Administration and a BM degree from Shorter College (University) in Vocal Performance. Currently, she manages rental properties on the West Side of Providence where she resides with her husband Dylan and their son Copeland. Jenica also serves on the board of the West Side Neighborhood Association (as Treasurer) and The Providence Singers, and is a 2016 Mu II graduate of LRI.

 

Sandra Puerini Del Sesto (LRI ‘87)       

Strategic – Achiever – Connectedness – Self-Assurance – Relator

 

Sandra Puerini Del Sesto, M.Ed, CPSS, is a consultant for the US Center for the Application of Prevention Technology (CAPT). She was the founder and for 30 years the executive director of Initiatives for Human Development and a founder of CODAC, a statewide treatment program. She was also the founding director of the Institute for Addiction Recovery at Rhode Island College. 

For over thirty-five years, Ms. Del Sesto has provided training, community and strategic planning, program development, and capacity building in all areas of prevention practice throughout the United States. She has worked extensively at both the community and state levels developing strategic prevention/behavioral health care plans and has also developed curriculum and programs for high-risk youth and families as well as instructional guidelines for substance abuse and mental health education. 

She is a member of the faculty and board of directors of the New England School of Addiction Studies. She is also a member of the Board of Directors and the Prevention Committee Co-Chair of the International Certification and Reciprocity Consortium (IC&RC), the international organization that certifies professionals working in behavioral health. Sandra is a co-author of the CAPT’s Substance Abuse Prevention Specialist Training (SAPST) and its Prevention Ethics Course. She received her Bachelor’s degree in psychology from Boston College (Newton), and her Master’s degree in counselor education from Rhode Island College. She also completed a certificate program in nonprofit management through Brown University in Providence. Ms. Del Sesto is a certified prevention specialist supervisor.

 

Kim Conway Dumpson (LRI ‘19)

Individualization – Connectedness – Context – Achiever – Belief

 

Kimberly Conway Dumpson, Esq. CFRE currently serves as Vice President for College Advancement and External Relations at Rhode Island College.  An attorney and certified fundraising executive (CFRE) with progressive leadership in higher education, fundraising, marketing and communications, she has comprehensive campaign experience ($16M) and a proven track record in the solicitation of major and planned gifts.

She is an effective communicator with an authentic and approachable leadership style, who creates strategic alliances and relationships across a broad spectrum of stakeholders. She is a passionate advocate devoted to issues of educational access and affordability for those from diverse racial, ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds. A Maryland native, she earned her undergraduate degree from Towson State University, and a juris doctor degree from Ohio Northern University. 

 

Dana Long (LRI ‘19)

Communication – Activator – Arranger – WOO – Maximizer

Connectedness – Positivity – Strategic – Adaptability – Ideation

 

Dana Long is a professional business coach specializing in leadership development and founder of, 3:6:7: BizSolutions, where she uses her passion to partner with executives and achieve successful business transformations. Dana has a well-rounded background, a broad business perspective, and 30+ years of organizational change and transformation experience in both small and large Fortune 100 companies. She has traveled to more than 50 countries and all 50 states ensuring business initiative successes which has given her an appreciation for diverse cultures and thinking. As a business transformation leader, Dana has experience in global executive and management development, sales training, and organizational effectiveness which make her uniquely qualified as a “plug and play” partner businesses count on to give them a jumpstart of energy needed for leadership excellence and business success.

At the core, Dana is:
Integrity oriented – Open, honest, real and does whatever it takes
Innovative and entrepreneurial – Driven to take clients to the next level
Self-aware – Leverages her strengths to make a positive difference
Helps first – Gives value before expecting anything in return
Laughs often and loves always – Passionate and playful

Dana obtained a Bachelor of Administration at Westminster College from Fulton, MO. She is certified as a MBTI facilitator, DISC, DDI, 360 Benchmarks, 100+ Achieve Global sales, service and leadership courses, SellXL, Aslan training, MIT mentor of entrepreneurs through RI HUB/ Venture Mentoring Services.

 

Francisco Lovera (LRI ‘18)

Learner – Connectedness – Restorative – Individualization – Context

Intellection – Empathy – Input – Achiever – Strategic

 

Francisco Lovera, P.E. has over 13 years of transportation engineering experience specializing in traffic engineering and highway safety. He has lived in Providence, Rhode Island since 2005 with his wife Amy and two daughters. 

 He holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Civil Engineering from the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) in Mexico City, where we grew up.  While in college, he performed in several plays as part of the School of Engineering’s drama club.  In 1998, he participated in the US-Mexico Chamber of Commerce Buen Vecino Program working as an intern for American Science and Engineering in Billerica, MA.  He met his wife Amy during this internship. 

After obtaining his degree, in 2003, he moved to Littleton, MA to marry his fiancé.  In 2004, he began working for the District 3 of the Massachusetts Highway Department (Massachusetts Department of Transportation now) in Worcester, where he reviewed traffic engineering projects and proposed improvements in accordance with Massachusetts State Regulations and Federal standards and provided MEPA review coordination for the District Office.  During this time in Littleton, MA, he formed a Spanish conversation group at the local library, which remains active to date.

In 2005, he moved to Providence with his wife as she began her Master’s Program at the Rhode Island School of Design (RISD).  In 2006 he began working as a Civil Engineer Associate at the Traffic Engineering Section with the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) where he managed traffic engineering projects and served as traffic engineer for highway and bridge projects.  He moved up the ranks and in 2012 he became responsible for managing the state’s Highway Safety Programs (NHTSA).  While at RIDOT he became involved in several key infrastructure projects such as the I-95/I-195 interchange relocation (I-Way), Pawtucket River Bridge, the first Pedestrian Hybrid Beacon in New England, and was the Department’s modern roundabout advocate.  He had the opportunity to represent Rhode Island in regional and national conferences.  From 2013 to 2014, he was the president of the Rhode Island Chapter of Institute of Transportation Engineers (RIITE) and is a founding board member of the RIITE Roundabout Task Force.  In his early years at RIDOT, Mr. Lovera worked as a docent in the RISD Museum leading tours in Spanish.  He also used his spare time to teach conversational Spanish to community members.

In 2016, Mr. Lovera joined McMahon Associates, a transportation engineering consulting firm, where he serves as project manager for transportation projects throughout New England.  He currently serves as the Chair of the Board of The Avenue Concept and the Board of Trustees of the International Charter School.

 

Giselle Mahoney (LRI ‘20) 

Achiever – Relator – Individualization – Developer – Discipline 

Responsibility – Empathy – Learner – Activator – Harmony

 

Giselle Mahoney brings more than 13 years of marketing, public relations, and communications experience to the RDW Group team as Sr. Account Executive/Partner. In her role, she is entrusted with building client relationships, developing and aligning strategy, and leading day-to-day project execution. She has worked with non-profit, private, and government organizations in areas particularly focused on public service, healthcare, and workforce development. Clients include the RI Department of Health, Rhode Island Medical Imaging, RI Division of Motor Vehicles, Ageless Innovation, Epilepsy Foundation New England/The Matty Project, Bristol County Water Authority, and the Governor’s Workforce Board RI. 

Giselle is a member of the Leadership Rhode Island Pi II class (2020). She has served on the Board of Directors for the Public Relations Society of America Southeastern New England chapter since 2013 and currently serves as its President. Giselle also co-leads an annual holiday giving program for nursing care community residents. 

  

George Nippo (LRI ‘17)

Arranger – Achiever – Responsibility – Learner – Maximizer 

Empathy – Developer – Communication – Harmony – Context

 

George Nippo is the Site Director at Year Up RI where he has worked since 2010.  Prior to working at Year Up he was the director of the L.I.F.E. School in Panajachel, Guatemala where he lived for nearly ten years in the Western Highlands. He holds an MS degree in College Student Personnel as well as BA degrees in Spanish and Elementary Education from the University of Rhode Island.  He studied in both Spain and Argentina and has a love for travel, playing/coaching his daughters in soccer and hiking.  He was a member of the 2017 Nu II LRI class.

 

Margie O’Brien Reed (LRI ‘16) 

WOO – Activator – Futuristic – Positivity – Achiever

Communication – Adaptability – ideation – Focus – Command

 

Some may recognize Margie O’Brien for her role in Governor Gina Raimondo’s daily press briefings.  She assisted in getting the latest information on the Covid Crisis out to Rhode Islanders. Others know Margie for her career as a journalist.  She has been telling stories for over 25 years as an award winning news reporter and anchor in the Providence and Boston news markets. Her “beat” changed in 2015, when she began covering the Rhode Island Legislature and political news as Host of RI Capitol TV.  

Margie is also the founder of IMAGE, a communications consulting company assisting organizations and individuals with media skills, messaging and strengths implementation. Margie earned her Bachelor’s degree in Political Science from St. Anselm College and her Master’s degree in Communications/Broadcast Journalism from Emerson College. 

Margie is a graduate of Leadership Rhode Island and proudly sits on the board of the LRI Women’s Network 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. Margie lives in Barrington with her husband, Todd Reed, and three children, Camden, Cole and Delaney.

 

 

Adam Olenn (LRI ‘20)

Activator – Learner – Maximizer – Ideation – Futuristic

Strategic – Achiever – Positivity – Individualization – Intellection

 

Adam Olenn has been helping companies identify and articulate their core identity – their brand essence – since 1995.  He began his career in the first wave of digital agencies, where he discovered an aptitude for using structure as the most important element for making websites effective and easy to use.

 In addition to his agency and management consulting experience, he has led in-house marketing teams at the university and K-12 level, developing an insider’s perspective on how non-profit organizations mirror – and differ from – corporate counterparts.

 As CEO of the strategic creative firm Rustle & Spark, he leads a federation of senior talent that quickly and efficiently help companies communicate clearly and emotionally to move their customers to action.