Gov. Lincoln Almond will take some time before deciding what to do about the soon-to-be-vacant executive director post at the Rhode Island Economic Development Corp., his spokesman said.
EDC Executive Director Tom Schumpert, who gave Almond his resignation July 26, is expected to remain in his post until Aug. 9. He is slated to begin his new position as executive director of the Metro Center and Community Outreach at Roger Williams University on Aug. 26.
Almond spokesman Tom Kogut said early last week that no decisions had been made about how to – or whether to – fill the executive director post.
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"All options are being considered," Kogut said. "Clearly we have to consider where we are in the administration, but we really haven’t made any final decisions yet. We’ll have a clearer idea before Tom’s last day (Aug. 9)."
Deputy executive director William Parsons, who also is vice president of operations, is second in command behind Schumpert at EDC.
While the timing of Schumpert’s resignation may have been unexpected, the decision does not come as much of a surprise. Schumpert was appointed by a governor now just a few months away from completing his term, leaving the collective fates of department heads like Schumpert very much up in the air.
Kogut said that should any other resignations occur, they would be handled on a case-by-case basis.
In an e-mail message to EDC staff members on July 26, Schumpert informed employees of his pending departure and thanked them for their hard work and support.
Schumpert told Providence Business News that he was thrilled to have an opportunity to remain in the Ocean State. He considered his future in state government "very uncertain" with Almond’s term winding down.
"It’s a dream," he said of his new post.
"Mr. Schumpert possesses the management skills needed to clarify the enterprise’s overall direction. He is also a well-established and respected individual in the Providence business community as well as throughout the state and region," said Roger Williams University President Roy J. Nirschel.
Schumpert will be responsible for the overall administration and advancement of the university’s Metro Center in downtown Providence. He will work to develop and implement the university’s strategic plan to expand the university’s corporate and community relations.
Schumpert’s rise in state government has been rapid. In the summer of 1999, Almond appointed him to head the state Department of Business Regulation.
While at DBR, Schumpert worked long hours to resolve the Harvard Pilgrim health insurance dilemma, reaching an agreement in principle with the state of Massachusetts on payment in full for service providers to members of Harvard Pilgrim Health Care in New England. Some had felt that Schumpert would have been lucky to get a fraction of the money he, and the state, was after. He got it all.
It was during that time that he earned the deep respect of Almond.
The search for a new director at EDC began after John Swen resigned during the first week of 2000. Swen’s departure was the result of both political and public fallout from his admission that he and members of his staff had used state credit cards inappropriately.
The committee charged with finding a replacement for Swen chose Schumpert from more than 100 resumes it had received for the position, which is chiefly responsible for assisting existing businesses and luring new ones to Rhode Island.
Almond made it clear during a press conference introducing Schumpert as the new EDC chief that Schumpert had impressed him during his tenure at DBR.
"He has never seen a challenge he can not meet," said Almond. "He has tremendous leadership and negotiating skills. When it comes to business, Tom really knows how to close a deal."
Prior to taking over as director of the state DBR in the late spring of 1999, Schumpert was president and founder or TS Associates, Inc., a Boston management consulting practice. There he specialized in commercial lending, economic development and business finance.
In addition, Schumpert served as president of the Massachusetts Minority Enterprise Investment Corp. While there, Schumpert developed a lending, venture capital and technical assistance operation to provide access to banking for minority-owned small businesses in Massachusetts. He also served as senior vice president at two banks, including Bank of New England in Boston. He was as an assistant vice president with Fleet National Bank in Rhode Island.
Schumpert served in the U.S. Air Force in Vietnam from 1965 to 1966. He earned a management degree from Rutgers University in New Jersey.
Michael Pare and David Levesque contributed to this report.
