Alan Chille ’82 is the board’s newly-elected president; Eugene Simone ’67, vice president and Kyla Pecchia ’13, secretary. Gary Mohamed ’85 will retain his executive committee post as treasurer and Ann Marie DaSilva ’87, former board president, will now serve as past president.
The foundation also welcomes two new directors to its ranks: Joyce Stevos ’65 and Gary Dicenzo ’86.
“Both the college and foundation are fortunate to have accomplished alumni serve as members of our board of directors,” said RIC Foundation Executive Director Ed Pacheco. “I look forward to working with each of them for the benefit of our college and students.”
Chille, who works as general manager of the Providence Performing Arts Center, formerly served as a member of the Rhode Island College Alumni Association and is a member of the college’s Shinn Study Abroad Committee. Chille, who presided as vice president of the RIC Foundation’s Executive Committee in 2019-20, is an inductee in the 1854 Society and received a School of Management Honor Roll Award in 2007. In 2009, seeking another way to contribute to his alma mater, the businessman established the Alan Chille Student Leadership Award, which is given to a RIC student who has made a positive impact on campus through academic internships, campus employment and involvement with student organizations.
“As a Rhode Island College alumnus, it has been my pleasure to have served as the foundation’s vice president and it is an honor to now be chosen as president,” Chille says. “I look forward to working with our outstanding board members and fellow alumni who have been dedicated to the goals of the foundation.”
Simone, a retired lieutenant colonel in the Air Force, earned a bachelor’s degree at RIC in technology education. Simone is currently employed as a vice president at Ameriprise Financial. He previously served as vice president at Merrill Lynch from 1967 until February 2020. Along with his 1967 classmates, Simone celebrated a golden anniversary at RIC’s 2017 undergraduate commencement ceremonies. He is married to Debra Mollicone and has two children, Francesca and Justin.
Pecchia is no stranger to the RIC Foundation, having served as one of its directors since 2018. Prior to that, she completed a term as a member of the RIC Foundation’s Board of Trustees. Pecchia works as an attorney in Providence, practicing civil litigation with a focus on municipal and administrative law. A former president of the Student Community Government at RIC, Pecchia graduated cum laude with a double major in political science and public administration.
Pecchia is passionate about her service as executive director of Millennial Rhode Island, a local nonprofit generational networking group that strives to encourage young professionals to choose Rhode Island as a place to live, work and grow as professionals.
DiCenzo and Stevos, the RIC Foundation’s two new directors, come from the worlds of finance and education, respectively.
DiCenzo formerly worked as Chief Executive Officer of Cognios Capital, a Kansas City, Kansas-based investment firm that acts as an advisor to mutual funds, private funds and institutional clients. Prior to his appointment at Cognios, DiCenzo was president and CEO of the Chicago-based strategic consulting firm IMC Group. His career includes several roles with Scout Investment Advisors, including president of its mutual fund complex, president and CEO of Scout Distributors and as a board member to the advisor. DiCenzo is currently independent chairman for the 360 Fund and FNEX Ventures mutual fund trusts.
Stevos comes to her position as a director after serving a term on the foundation’s board of trustees. A Rhode Island native, Stevos earned bachelor and master’s degrees from RIC and a doctorate through Rhode Island College’s joint program in education with the University of Rhode Island. As a teacher and supervisor of social studies in the Providence Public Schools, Stevos supervised the implementation of Black history, Holocaust and Armenian genocide studies in the school district's curriculum.
After many years of service in the Providence Public Schools, Stevos retired but continued to work in education, serving as a consultant with Trinity Restoration to develop and incorporate Trinity Academy for the Performing Arts Charter High School. Stevos has been at the helm of leadership within her community, as a former president of the Urban League of Rhode Island and on the boards of the Providence Public Library, the Providence Preservation Society, the Heritage Harbor Board and the Rhode Island Board of Education.
The remaining Rhode Island College Foundation directors for 2020-21 are Carol Moretti ’70; William Fazioli ’86; Robert Suglia ’78; Anne DeStefano ’66; Travis Escobar ’13; Barbara Smith ’70; Vincent Cullen ’55; Lou Marciano ’60; Michelle Johnson ’06, ‘14; Alan Tenieiro ’98 ’05; Roderick DaSilva ’76; Thomas Fitzgerald ’99; David Hanna and Rosemary Khosrovani.
The Rhode Island College Foundation, established in 1965, is a separate entity that is devoted to raising funds solely for Rhode Island College. The foundation also exercises fiduciary responsibility over endowments and other philanthropic investments made to Rhode Island College. The foundation is the primary source of private support to the college as it achieves its mission to offer accessible higher education of the finest quality to traditional and non-traditional students from around the state, the region, and beyond. As an independent organization represented by alumni and friends of the college, the foundation conducts itself with integrity, appreciates its beneficiaries, and works passionately for the enhancement of the college and its students.
