Who Holds the Most Power in Rhode Island?

Our April cover story highlights the forty-five most powerful Rhode Islanders in business, politics, education, development, philanthropy and more.

April 20, 2023

Lauren Clem, Jamie Coelho, Bob Curley,

INDEX:

Philanthropy

Neil Steinberg

Neil Steinberg might be capping off fifteen years at the helm of the Rhode Island Foundation in May, but he still makes our list for his outsize influence and the profound changes he’s brought to the state’s nonprofit sector over the years. Since 2008, his contributions to the foundation’s growth have increased its assets more than three times over, and he’s overseen grant awards of more than $700 million. He’s also been at the head of some of Rhode Island’s most important initiatives, overseeing the launch of the foundation’s Equity Leadership Initiative and gathering input to advise state leaders on how to spend $1.1 billion in American Rescue Plan Act funds. Wherever he spends his time next, you can be sure he’ll have the ear of the state’s biggest power brokers.

“I’m proud that we work diligently every day to fulfill our mission as the state’s community foundation to be a proactive philanthropic and community leader dedicated to meeting the needs of all of the people of Rhode Island.” —NEIL STEINBERG

Cortney Nicolato

Since taking the reins at the United Way of Rhode Island in 2018, Cortney Nicolato has continued its transformation from a primarily grantmaking organization to one of the biggest forces in the state’s nonprofit sector. Under her watch, United Way launched a five-year strategic plan, committing $100 million to build racial equity through investments in housing, education and other areas. She also oversaw the launch of 401Gives in 2020, which has since grown to become Rhode Island’s single largest day of nonprofit giving, and has spearheaded an effort to harness the collective power of the state’s service organizations by creating a Nonprofit Resource Center offering advocacy and professional development across the field.

Education

Meghan Hughes

As head of the Community College of Rhode Island since 2016, Meghan Hughes oversaw arguably the biggest overhaul in the state’s higher education system in decades — the introduction of the Rhode Island Promise Scholarship, which offers free tuition to all graduating high school seniors and dramatically increased college-going rates in Rhode Island. But her contributions aren’t contained to campus. A power player in the regional business community, Hughes chairs the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce and earlier this year was named to the board of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston. In a state dense with four-year institutions, her leadership ensures the local community college system punches above its weight.

Christina Paxson

Brown University isn’t just Rhode Island’s top-ranked academic institution. It’s also Providence’s largest institutional landowner and one of the biggest employers and economic drivers in the state. Since 2012, Christina Paxson has worked to expand the university’s reach beyond College Hill, shifting focus to the former Jewelry District as the epicenter of Brown’s — and Rhode Island’s — growing stock in the life sciences and business innovation fields. Under her watch, the university also grew its endowment to a record $6.9 billion in 2021,
established a School of Public Health and embarked on a ten-year strategic plan.

Marc Parlange

How did the former provost of an Australian research institution land the top job at the state’s flagship public university? Two words: blue economy. Parlange, with a background in hydrology and climate change research, came to the University of Rhode Island in 2021, as the state’s changing relationship with the ocean and its economic opportunities became increasingly front and center in the school’s mission. Shortly after his arrival, voters approved a $100 million bond to expand the university’s Narragansett Bay Campus, further positioning URI as a leader in industries such as ocean engineering and offshore wind.

Angélica Infante-Green

Angélica Infante-Green wasted no time showing some muscle after she was appointed state education commissioner in 2019, initiating a takeover of the Providence Public School District within seven months. Since then, she’s been locked in a battle with teachers and community leaders over the state’s handling of the district as Providence schools continue to underperform in standardized test results. Last year, her office requested an extension, citing the pandemic for the lack of progress on an effort that was marred by remote learning struggles and politics almost from the start.

Health

Peter Marino

Peter Marino took the helm at Neighborhood Health Plan of Rhode Island in 2014, shortly after the creation of the state’s health insurance exchange and Medicaid expansion led to a rapid increase in membership. Since then, it’s become one of the leading health insurers in the state and serves one in five Rhode Islanders, a local success story in a market that’s seen one disruption after another. Formerly a director of the state Office of Management and Budget and fiscal advisor to the Rhode Island Senate, Marino cut his teeth on public finance and has played a role in several of the state’s leading institutions, including as a board member at Amica Mutual Insurance Company and the Rhode Island Community Food Bank and as a former chairman of the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce.

Dr. Mukesh Jain

The proposed merger between Rhode Island’s two largest hospital groups might be dead, but Lifespan and Care New England continue to move toward aligning their interests, and Brown University remains a key player in that formula. Last fall, the three institutions announced an aligned research collaboration agreement to coordinate their research activities with those of the Warren Alpert Medical School and the Brown University School of Public Health. Chairing the effort is Dr. Mukesh Jain, who as dean of medicine and biological sciences oversees both the school’s health programs and its groundbreaking biomedical research. Shortly after, he took on the title of senior vice president for health affairs to recognize his growing role in navigating Brown’s relationship with its hospital partners. As dean, he’ll also oversee the school’s continued investment in Providence’s Jewelry District — namely, a new integrated life sciences building currently under design.

Labor

Michael Sabitoni

Go to any groundbreaking for a major construction or infrastructure project in the state, and you’re sure to find Michael Sabitoni, usually with a bevy of yellow construction-jacketed laborers, making sure the politicians feel their support. Though union membership has declined locally and nationally, it’s still a powerful force in Rhode Island, where 16.1 percent of workers belonged to a union in 2022, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics. For those running for elected office, that makes Sabitoni, president of the Rhode Island Building and Construction Trades Council and business manager of the Rhode Island Laborers’ District Council — both posts he’s held for over a decade — a coveted vote to get.

Maribeth Calabro

With the state in an ugly scuffle with teachers and community members over control of the city’s school system, all eyes have been locked on Providence, and no voice rings out louder from the fray than Maribeth Calabro’s. The president of the Providence Teachers Union wields significant influence over the district of close to 22,000 students, whether it’s calling out the state on its plans to close aging school buildings or negotiating teacher contracts. With the takeover set to continue for the time being, you can be sure you’ll keep hearing Calabro’s name in association with debates over the district’s future.