PROVIDENCE – Mim L. Runey knew from her undergraduate days that she wanted a career in academia. But perhaps she didn’t know just how transformative the experience would be. Today Runey is the chief operating officer for Johnson & Wales University as well as the president of its Providence campus, and if her past is any guide, she won’t be standing still at that, either.
Runey talked about here career Thursday night at the third PBN C-Suite Awards event after receiving the program’s Career Achiever award in front of a crowd of 220 of the region’s business leaders at the Omni Providence Hotel. She emphasized the passion she has for the institution that has nurtured her aspirations and rewarded her hard work, something she noted that all the evening’s honorees have in common.
In addition, Runey, through her own experience as well as insights gained over the years, emphasized the need for continuing reinvention on both the personal and institutional levels. And given what is happening on JWU’s four campuses, from new approaches to food-based pedagogy to its trail-blazing physician’s assistant program, it’s clear she has taken that idea to heart.
Runey was one of a dozen C-Suite Award winners recognized at the event, including these:
- Chief Operating Officer, Lisa Dandeneau, executive vice president and chief operating officer for Navigant Credit Union
- Chief Financial Officer, Mark Stewart, Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island
- Chief Human Resources Officer, enterprise private company: Lisa Abbott, senior vice president of human resources for Lifespan
- Chief Human Resources Officer, large private company: Rachelle Handfield, executive vice president of human resources at Collette
- Chief Human Resources Officer, public company: Lisa Ahart, vice president of U.S. corporate human resources for Toray Plastics (America) Inc.
- Chief Human Resources Officer, nonprofit: Tammy Lederer, chief human resource officer of Brown Medicine
- Chief Marketing Officer/Business Development Officer: Joseph O’Connell, vice president of business development at Astronova Inc.
- Chief Information/Technology Officer, small private company: Randall Jackvony, principal of technology and client services for Trilix Inc.
- Chief Information/Technology Officer, nonprofit: Jacques Laflamme, chief information officer for New England Institute of Technology.
- Chief Nursing Officer: Barbara Riley, senior vice president for patient care services and chief nursing officer for Rhode Island Hospital and Hasbro Children’s Hospital
- Rising Star, Kyrie Perry, chief public affairs officer for HealthSource R.I.
The evening was kicked off by a series of video interviews of the winners, presented here.
Presenting sponsor of the program is KPMG LLC, while partner sponsors are the Hilb Group New England and Partridge Snow & Hahn LLP.
Mark S. Murphy is the PBN Editor.
