Hilary Switzer has been named aquatics director at The Greater Woonsocket YMCA, where she will direct all swim instruction and aquatic programming. more

Laurie Ossman has been named director of museum affairs at The Preservation Society of Newport County. more

Mark Loiselle has been elected chair of the board of CareLink, a nonprofit management service organization. more

Rhode Island has more fire districts, 43, than cities and towns. And like those 39 cities and towns, many of the districts have their own rules, protected by law, and ways of doing things. Rhode Islanders’ love of independence is deeply rooted and not without merit when it comes to providing much-needed local services. more

Entrepreneurs looking for a Wi-Fi connection, meeting space and limited overhead suddenly have a bevy of options aside from their local coffee shops. more

Rhode Island has a new statistical tool to measure its relative wellness against such national indicators as breast cancer, obesity, access to health insurance and mental health. more

George Canellos, 48, has one of the Securities and Exchange Commission’s top jobs. The SEC’s new chairman, Mary Jo White, appointed him as co-director of the enforcement division, along with Andrew Ceresney, a former partner of White’s at Debevoise & Plimpton. more

As the 2013 legislative session heads toward its closing date, Rhode Island has a great economic opportunity within its grasp. Passage of a carefully constructed historic-tax-credit program would kick-start jobs, revitalize neighborhood economies and help get us back in business. more

When she was one of 15 bank employees laid off from her job processing transactions on customer accounts, 52-year-old Margarita Feliciano decided to go back to the work she enjoyed when she was in her 20s – taking care of patients in their homes. more

Despite efforts from government and industry to reduce health care spending, Rhode Island health insurers say the cost curve is bending in the wrong direction. more