New website features alumni database and more

The goal was to create a web presence that reflected the brand, the web organization, its impact and the tremendous alumni base that makes it all possible.

The last few years have seen Leadership Rhode Island move boldly in several exciting new directions. But you wouldn’t have known it by looking at the website.

Last winter a team of alumni and staff took on the ambitious project of redesigning the front end and modernizing the back end of the site. The goal was to create a web presence that reflected the brand, the organization, its impact and the tremendous alumni base that makes it all possible. And — importantly — it had to work flawlessly on the universe of new mobile devices that have appeared since the last redesign. This also created an opportunity to add a long sought-after feature to the site: a searchable alumni directory.

Through a search that included more than 15 local web firms, the committee found a match in Work-Shop, a quirky (half furniture maker, half web designer!) Providence design shop. They came in with an appealing proposal and an innovative approach. Over the next few months they worked closely with the LRI team, writing copy, organizing content, collecting photos, designing and coding. The result is an engaging, visually appealing, easy-to-navigate hub that tells the increasingly complex story of LRI in simple, dynamic fashion.

But for the many alums who have been asking for it for years, the “Holy Grail” feature is the alumni database. Through a partnership with Salesforce.com, a modern search interface enables alumni and staff to find each other based on a range of criteria (current position, company, class, city, etc.) while carefully maintaining privacy for our members. Alumni can update their profiles and connect securely through private messages without having to expose email addresses or phone numbers unless they choose to.

We encourage you to explore the new site and share it with anyone curious about the organization. And please take the alumni directory for a spin. We believe it will become an increasingly valuable tool for our alumni looking to maintain and build their networks.

If you have any questions or suggestions about the site, feel free to contact us at office@leadershipri.org.

Become a dues-paying member and receive access to our new searchable alumni database!