Ross Gittell
University of New Hampshire’s (UNH) Whittemore School of Business and Economics

Dr. Gittell is the author of two books, over 50 academic journal articles and has engaged in research for the state of New Hampshire, the New Hampshire Business Industry Association (NHBIA), the NH Charitable Foundation, and the Carsey Institute at UNH on economic development, income disparity and fiscal issues.Dr. Gittell is Vice President, forecast manager and on the board of the New England Economic Partnership. He is also a Trustee at Exeter Hospital and Exeter Health Services, a Director of the Exeter Trust Company and on the Board of the Endowment for Health and Foundation for Healthy Communities. He received his Ph.D. from Harvard University, M.B.A from University of California at Berkeley, and A.B in Economics from the University of Chicago.

Keith Stokes
Executive Director
Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation

Mr. Stokes was appointed in January 2010 by Governor Carcieri to the position of Executive Director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation. He is Chairman of the Board of the Quonset Development Corporation, as well as the Slater Technology Fund. Prior to his appointment, Mr. Stokes served as Board member and Treasurer of the RI Economic Development Corporation and as a Board member of the Quonset Development Corporation. Mr. Stokes was the Executive Director of the Newport County Chamber of Commerce for over 15 years. Prior to his success at the Chamber, he worked as Senior Policy Advisor to Rhode Island Governor Bruce Sundlun, Executive Director of the Omni Development Corporation, and Senior Policy Advisor to the Rhode Island General Treasurer. Mr. Stokes is also a frequent national, state and local lecturer in community and regional planning, historic preservation and interpretation with an expertise in early African and Jewish American history.

Cary Collins
Trustee Professor of Entrepreneurship, Associate Professor of Finance
Bryant University

Prior to joining Bryant in 2007, Dr. Collins held the The Home Federal Bank / David Sharp Professorship in Banking & Finance at The University of Tennessee. In his tenure at The University of Tennessee, Dr. Collins was the Director of the Financial Institutions Center and held an earlier distinction as a William B. Stokely Distinguished Scholar in Finance. His industry distinctions include Ayres’ Fellow to The American Bankers Association Stonier Graduate School and visiting scholar to The U.S. Treasury Department’s Office of the Comptroller of the Currency.  Dr. Collins also founded a financial services software company, which he successfully sold in 2003 with an additional sale of the consulting services side of the business in 2004. He actual began his business career as a banker and trust investments officer and holds degrees from Concord University, Virginia Tech, and The University of Georgia.

Raymond Fogarty
Director
Chafee Center for International Business and World Trade Center Rhode Island

As founding director of the Rhode Island Export Assistance Center (RIEAC), Mr. Forarty has shown his dedication to increasing exports for the state of Rhode Island. He oversees all center’s operations, including strategic visioning, organizational goals, planning, budget management, and resource development for all RIEAC products and services that include the International Trade Data Network (ITDN), which is in every state in our country, international training, trade missions, and international market research. Mr. Fogarty has received Bryant University’s Alumnus of the Year Award (he received a bachelor’s degree in accounting in 1980) and has received Bryant University’s Spirit Award. Throughout his career, he has served on several boards. He is also well known and respected in the area of international trade development, locally, regionally as well as at the national level. He has been very active in energy and alternative energy projects, over the past several years. Mr. Fogarty is married to Phoebe (Dahlquist) and they are the proud parents of 4 children.

Mark W. Freel
Partner
Edwards Angell Palmer & Dodge LLP

Mr. Freel was recently named one of the top litigators in Rhode Island in the 2009 edition of Chambers USA America's Leading Lawyers for Business. The comprehensive national guide, based upon actual interviews with clients and attorneys, noted that Mr. Freel is known throughout the state as "an excellent lawyer who runs the whole gamut of litigation."  He has enjoyed that honor since 2004. He has also been named a Rhode Island Super Lawyer since 2007 by Law & Politics magazine. Mr. Freel frequently handles matters involving shareholder disputes in closely held corporations, construction and real estate disputes, cases involving unfair competition, trademarks and trade secrets, covenants not to compete, and probate and family business disputes. He frequently represents and advises manufacturers on issues concerning the protection of their intellectual property and proprietary business information, and in product liability actions involving a wide variety of products. He has handled mass tort cases involving asbestos liability and breast implants. He has served as lead counsel in numerous cases involving constitutional and civil rights, including First Amendment rights and section 1983 claims.

Logan Kelly
Assistant Professor of Economics
Bryant University

Dr. Kelly joined the faculty of Bryant University in the fall of 2007. He received his Ph.D. in 2007 from University of Kansas (KU) with specializations in macroeconomics and applied econometrics. While at KU, Dr. Kelly taught undergraduate courses including money and banking, microeconomics and managerial economics and has presented research in the areas of economic forecasting, monetary economics and education economics. At Bryant University, Dr. Kelly has continued teaching in the areas of macroeconomics and monetary economics. His continuing research interests include aggregation and index number theory, macroeconomic modeling and simulation, and economic forecasting.

Leonard Lardaro
Professor of Economics
University of Rhode Island

Dr. Lardaro has been a faculty member at URI since June 1981. He has taught courses in Econometrics at both the undergraduate and graduate levels, Introductory Economics (both micro and macro), Intermediate Economic Theory (micro and macro), Labor Economics, Public Finance, Money and Banking, and Managerial Economics. His research has centered on the econometric analysis of labor markets, ranging from the labor supply effects of Unemployment Insurance to state-level analysis of job vacancy rates and labor market flows. Dr Lardaro has been analyzing and forecasting the Rhode Island economy since 1991, focusing on its labor and housing markets, demographic factors, and the income created by Rhode Island's economy. Those forecasts were presented at a series of regional conferences and as testimony before a number of Rhode Island Revenue Estimation and Caseload conferences.

David Lux
Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences
Bryant University

David Lux is Dean of the College of Arts and Sciences at Bryant University. He has been at Bryant since 1990 serving as a faculty member, department chair, and administrator. Before coming to Bryant, Dr. Lux had taught at both Virginia Tech and Franklin & Marshall College. As an historian, Dr. Lux’s areas of specialization are in early-modern European history as well as the histories of science and technology, and American industrialization. He has published widely with books and articles in the areas of early-modern European history, the social organization of science, and the history of technology. For over twenty years, Dr. Lux also worked in consulting and contract research in areas related to technological innovation, technology transfer, and new product development. Dr. Lux holds the B.A., M.A., and Ph.D. in History from the University of Michigan.

Edward M. Mazze
Distinguished University Professor of Business Administration and former Dean of the College of Business Administration
University of Rhode Island

Prior to this appointment at URI, Dr. Mazze served as dean of the Belk College of Business Administration of the University of North Carolina at Charlotte, the Fox School of Management of Temple University and the W. Paul Stillman School of Business of Seton Hall University. Currently, he is a member of the Board of Directors of Technitrol, Inc. (NYSE), Washington Trust Bancorp, Inc. (NASDAQ), the Barrett Growth Fund and Ocean State Business Development Authority, Inc. He serves as a consultant to government agencies and corporations. He is the author, coauthor and editor of twelve books in business and over two hundred articles appearing in academic journals, trade publications, magazines and newspapers. Dr. Mazze received his Ph.D. in Business Administration from Pennsylvania State University.

Mary M. McGoldrick
Senior Vice President & Chief Investment Officer
The Washington Trust Company, Wealth Management Division

Mrs. McGoldrick joined The Washington Trust Company's Wealth Management division in November 2002, bringing more than 30 years experience in investments and investment advising. She is head of the wealth management division's 1800 Asset Management and is responsible for formulating the investment policy and strategies for that group, as well as managing client portfolios. She holds a master's degree in business administration from Bryant College, a bachelor's degree from Trinity College, and is a graduate of the University of Michigan Public Finance Institute and the American Bankers Association School of Bank Investments. She is a member of the Providence Society of Financial Analysts and the Boston Economic Club. Mary is an incorporator of the Westerly Public Library and serves on the board of directors of Family Services of Rhode Island and the board of governors of the Catholic Foundation of Rhode Island.

George H. Nee
President
Rhode Island AFL-CIO

Mr. Nee joined the Rhode Island AFL-CIO in 1983 to serve as the Executive Director, and was elected President in September 2009. He served as Secretary-Treasurer from March 1991 until September, 2009. Prior to his post at the Rhode Island AFL-CIO, he served as the full time president of the Service Employees International Union (SEIU) Local 76 from 1976 to 1983. As an organizer, he was actively involved with the United Farm Workers of America from 1969 to 1971. He is a graduate of Rhode Island College (1990). He is a member of the Rhode Island Convention Center Authority; Code Commission for Occupational Safety and Health; Providence Performing Arts Center (PPAC); Human Resource Investment Council (HRIC); Chairman of the Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council; Chairman of the Board of the Institute for Labor Studies and Research, a member of the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council, and an executive board member of The United Way of Rhode Island.

John C. Simmons
Executive Director
Rhode Island Expenditure Council (RIPEC)

Mr. Simmons currently serves as Executive Director of the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council (RIPEC) and is responsible for the development, administration and promotion of an applied research and public education program on a broad range of fiscal, public policy and public administration issues affecting state and local governments. He took over in January 2008 after serving as Chief of Administration for the City of Providence. He previously served as the City of Boston’s Chief Finance Officer; served as Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer for the Associated Industries of Massachusetts; and as Deputy General Treasurer for the State of Rhode Island. Mr. Simmons has a Masters of Public Administration from the University of Hartford and a Bachelors degree from Central Connecticut State University.

Neil Steinberg
President & Chief Executive Officer
The Rhode Island Foundation

Mr. Steinberg joined the Foundation in August 2008 as president & CEO, having served the four previous years as Vice President of Development and Campaign Director at Brown University for their $1.4 billion Campaign. He began his professional career at Fleet National Bank – then Industrial National Bank – upon his 1975 graduation from Brown and, after successfully rising through the ranks, ultimately served as Chairman and CEO of Fleet Bank-Rhode Island and then Regional President at Bank of America until 2004. He is on the advisory board of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, is a former director of the Business Development Company of Rhode Island and the community advisory board of United Way of Rhode Island. Steinberg is a former director of the Urban League, Providence Children’s Museum, Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the Providence Performing Arts Center, and the Providence Foundation. He was named Hispanic American Chamber of Commerce Corporate Leader of the Year in 2004 and inducted into the Brown University Hall of Fame in 2007.

Edinaldo Tebaldi
Assistant Professor of Economics
Bryant University

Dr. Tebaldi joined the faculty of the Department of Economics at Bryant University in 2007. He received his Ph.D. in economics from The University of New Hampshire in 2005 with concentration in International Economics and Economic Growth and Development. Dr. Tebaldi also worked as a consultant in the area of economic development for the World Bank and serves currently as the Rhode Island co-forecast manager for the New England Economic Partnership (NEEP). He has published several articles in scientific refereed journals and professional reports.

Grafton “Cap” H. Willey, CPA
Managing Director and member of the Tax Group
CBIZ Tofias, Newport Office

Prior to joining CBIZ Tofias, Mr. Willey was the Managing Shareholder of Rooney, Plotkin & Willey. He has more than 30 years of experience as a tax accountant and consultant to privately-held business owners. He is an active advocate for small business issues at the state, regional, and national levels, and was twice selected as the Rhode Island Small Business Accounting Advocate of the Year and once as the New England Small Business Accounting Advocate of the Year by the National Small Business Association (NSBA).