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    Building Bridges: Tomás Alberto Ávila, associate director of intergovernmental affairs for Rhode Island, connects government and entrepreneurs, expanding opportunities for minority businesses. 
PBN PHOTO/STEPHANIE BERNABA

    Tomás Alberto Ávila

    Business Services
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 TOMÁS ALBERTO ÁVILA State of Rhode Island associate director of intergovernmental affairs and outreach After earning a mechanical engineering degree from...
    LIFELONG LEARNING: Gail Alofsin, associate director in the Office of Strategic Initiatives at the University of Rhode Island, and her team deliver professional development programs focused on strengthening leadership, retention, productivity and the customer experience.
PBN PHOTO/STEPHANIE BERNABA

    Gail Alofsin

    Business Services
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 GAIL ALOFSIN University of Rhode Island Office of Strategic Initiatives associate director Gail Alofsin’s career has been shaped by saying “yes”...

    Doris Blanchard

    Business Services
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 DORIS BLANCHARD R.I. Commerce Corp. director of outreach and engagement As director of outreach and engagement at the R.I. Commerce Corp.,...
    EXPANDED OPERATION: Kelly Nevins, CEO of the Women’s Fund of Rhode Island, has grown the organization from one staffer and a $160,000 budget to seven employees and $800,000. 
PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

    Kelly Nevins

    Nonprofit
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 KELLY NEVINS Women’s Fund of Rhode Island CEO When Kelly Nevins graduated from the University of Rhode Island in 1990...
    EDUCATIONAL APPROACH: Greg Agnone, CEO and president of Chestnut Hill Insurance Group, serves as a panelist on WOON’s “­Coffee An’ ” radio talk show every Thursday, which takes an educational approach to financial and insurance topics.
PBN PHOTO/STEPHANIE BERNABA

    Greg Agnone

    Education
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 GREG AGNONE Chestnut Hill Insurance Group CEO and president After his dad passed away in 1987, Greg Agnone realized his mom,...
    FULFILLING ENDEAVOR: Farouk Rajab, CEO and president of the Rhode Island Hospitality Association, rose from restaurant host to the top job and said what he finds most rewarding is helping develop employees and seeing them become happy and successful. 
PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

    Farouk Rajab

    Food & Agriculture
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 FAROUK RAJAB Rhode Island Hospitality Association CEO and president Making people comfortable is in Farouk Rajab’s DNA. Rajab was raised in...
    BUILDING MOMENTUM: In his second stint as Rhode Island’s commerce secretary, Stefan Pryor is building on wins such as a $100 million Raytheon expansion and completion of the building that houses the R.I. Department of Health State Laboratories and Ocean State Labs. 
PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

    Stefan Pryor

    Business Services
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 STEFAN PRYOR State of Rhode Island Secretary of Commerce Stefan Pryor, who is in his second term as the secretary of...
    It’s About People: Larry Riggs, president of Pare Corp. for nearly 40 years, has grown the civil and environmental engineering firm from 10 employees to almost 200, crediting his people’s character and skill. 
PBN PHOTO/ELIZABETH GRAHAM

    Larry Riggs

    Business Services
    PBN Leaders & AchieversA wards 2026 LARRY RIGGS Pare Corp. president When Larry Riggs became president of Pare Corp. in 1986, it was a single-office practice with...
    Building an Ecosystem: Glenn Robertelli, executive director of RI Bio, pivoted from co-founding robotics firm Admetsys to growing Rhode Island’s life sciences sector, saying “collaboration, not competition ... wins.” 
PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

    Glenn Robertelli

    Entrepreneurship
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 GLENN ROBERTELLI RI Bio executive director Glenn Robertelli has spent 25 years building things that didn’t yet exist. Now...
    Culture Shift: Matthew Semonik, chief operating officer of Arnold Lumber Co., has transformed the building supplier’s culture by empowering employees, nearly doubling sales from 2015 to 2024 and earning Best Places to Work honors. 
PBN PHOTO/TRACY JENKINS

    Matthew Semonik

    Industries
    PBN Leaders & Achievers Awards 2026 MATTHEW SEMONIK Arnold Lumber Co. chief operating officer Matthew Semonik knows a lot about leadership. He’s a former platoon leader...
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