PROVIDENCE – A design educator, artist and nonprofit development professional with experience on both coasts will now take charge of DESIGNxRI.
The nonprofit that supports Rhode Island’s design industry announced Thursday that Ellie Brown has been appointed as the organization’s new executive director, assuming her new role immediately. Brown takes over for Lisa Carnevale, who announced back in March her plans to step aside from the organization she helped co-found in 2013 and transition into an advisory role for the organization.
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In a statement, Brown said stepping into Carnevale’s shoes is “no small feat,” and is looking forward to making DESIGNxRI “more inclusive to Rhode Island creatives who may not yet know that they are welcome in our community and getting to know the creatives that currently make our design community so strong.”
DESIGNxRI said Brown brings multiple decades of nonprofit and private sector experience from California to Rhode Island to her leadership role with the organization. The nonprofit says Brown has a significant track record in grant writing and fundraising, as well as committing to both social justice and diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives.
Brown has also been a volunteer for DESIGNxRI events since 2016, the organization said, noting she is “positioned to hit the ground running” to help DESIGNxRI play a big role in the state’s economy. Carnevale said in a statement Brown brings to DESIGNxRI a “development and creative skill set” that is “valuable” to the organization’s next chapter moving forward.
“I’m happy to be handing over the reins and excited to see how DESIGNxRI continues to grow under Ellie’s leadership,” Carnevale said.
James Bessette is the PBN special projects editor, and also covers the nonprofit and education sectors. You may reach him at Bessette@PBN.com. You may also follow him on Twitter at @James_Bessette.
