PBN Leaders & Achievers 2024 Awards
Deborah Pannullo | SCORE Rhode Island | Chapter chair
DEBORAH PANNULLO PRIDES herself as being the first in many things.
Prostate Health: Why Screenings are Key to Men’s Overall Wellness
September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. Prostate cancer is the second most common cancer among…
Learn More
Being the first in the family to ever attend college. The first female director at a Fortune 500 company and then the first female plant manager.
So, being a leader was a natural fit for her in her current role as chapter chair for SCORE Rhode Island, the Providence-based division of a national nonprofit network of business mentors. She felt it was a “perfect match” to join SCORE Rhode Island to help out fellow business professionals given her past experience in multiple workforces.
“The highlights of my career always surround being called in to fix problems. The problem can be rooted in financial, operational, legal or human resource issues,” Pannullo said. “I have enjoyed being a change agent for each company that hired me, as well as my private clients as a consultant. Each day is new and different … plus I learn a lot from each assignment.”
Growing up in South Providence, Pannullo originally wanted to be a high school math teacher. After graduating Hope High School, she attended Rhode Island College, where she earned her bachelor’s degree in economics and management. She earned her MBA at Bryant University and her law degree at Roger Williams University School of Law.
She became the president of her consulting firm, Pannullo & Associates, in 1987. Pannullo says starting her firm was a way to consult with small businesses and teach in colleges and universities.
“My approach has been to share big-company best practices with a dose of reality, understanding the cultural and financial differences that smaller businesses face,” Pannullo said.
Other roles Pannullo has held include vice president of operations at Mead WestVaco from 2012 to 2015, plant manager at Stanley Bostitch when the company had local operations in Rhode Island, and director of quality and productivity at Textron Inc.’s Bostitch division.
Now with SCORE Rhode Island, Pannullo helps her peers as being someone to speak with when frustration arises and they are doubting their future.
“Successful small-business ownership improves the quality of life for those individuals and generations to come,” Pannullo said.
