Gross stepping down as executive director of Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence

TENY O. GROSS is stepping down as executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence to lead a new nonviolence initiative in Chicago. / COURTESY ISPN
TENY O. GROSS is stepping down as executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence to lead a new nonviolence initiative in Chicago. / COURTESY ISPN

PROVIDENCE – Teny O. Gross is stepping down as executive director of the Institute for the Study & Practice of Nonviolence to lead a new nonviolence initiative in Chicago.

Gross, who will maintain his residence in Rhode Island, will continue to serve on the board of directors for the institute.

P.J. Fox, the institute’s chief operating officer, will serve as acting executive director.

“The great news is that the model we developed here is going to be put to work in Chicago,” Robert McConnell, chairman of the board of directors at the institute, said in a statement. “While we will certainly miss Teny’s role in our day-to-day operations, he will continue to serve on the board, and we will have an opportunity to collaborate with him as there is still plenty of work to do here in Rhode Island.”

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Said Gross, “The institute will play an important role in the Chicago effort. We have an experienced team on the ground in Rhode Island and they will be retained to work with me to train the Chicago staff and implement our nonviolence model. I am excited for the challenges that lay ahead and look forward to continuing to collaborate with my Rhode Island friends and colleagues.”

The nonviolence model developed by Gross and Institute founders Father Ray Malm and the late Sister Ann Keefe is built around the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s ideal of the nonviolent “beloved community.” The model includes five programs in Rhode Island: nonviolence training, a statewide victims support services, streetworker outreach, re-entry, and education and employment.

“We are grateful to Teny for his leadership in Rhode Island and for his support as we continue to address the ongoing challenges in our community,” Fox said. “In the coming weeks we are excited to launch the Hassenfeld Challenge and pursue a $50,000 matching grant from the Hassenfeld Family Foundation. We are thrilled to have this opportunity to grow our programs and continue to serve as a prototype for nonviolence initiatives across the country.”

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