NELLIE M. GORBEA, Rhode Island’s secretary of state, has received the Barbara C. Burlingame Distinguished Public Service Award from the Northern Rhode Island Chamber of Commerce. The award honors a Rhode Island elected official who has made outstanding contributions to the business community.
What is your reaction to being awarded the Barbara C. Burlingame Distinguished Public Service Award? I’m humbled and honored to receive this award, especially knowing Barbara C. Burlingame’s work and her dedication to the community as a state representative and a leader in the Northern Rhode Island Chamber. This award also recognizes the terrific work being done in my office by the Business Services Division. I think most people associate the [R.I.] Secretary of State’s Office with elections, and while I’m very proud of our work to improve access to the ballot box and protect the integrity of every vote, our Business Services team has been … helping local businesses grow, succeed and create jobs.
What have you been most proud of accomplishing with regard to the business community during your tenure as secretary of state? Making government services and resources simpler and more accessible for people, which has turned the Secretary of State’s Office into a place that business owners genuinely love to engage with. Time and time again, business owners tell me about the positive interactions they’ve had with our team, and ways we’ve been able to streamline processes that used to be drawn out or confusing.
What is your assessment of the current business climate in Rhode Island, and what do you hope to do to improve upon it? There’s so much potential here. I believe we have begun to change the business climate in our state, but a lot more remains to be done, especially in how government interacts with the public, our customers. As secretary of state, I’ve made sure that we not only implement new ideas and programs but that we fundamentally change the way government works.
What philanthropic endeavors are you most proud of accomplishing, and being involved with in the Ocean State? My work on safe and affordable housing. As the executive director of HousingWorks RI [at Roger Williams University], I worked every day to make the policy case that housing is infrastructure. It makes the other parts of our lives possible. We had success in getting Rhode Island’s housing bond program approved three times, to the tune of $125 million.
What does it mean to you as a Latina to have reached such a distinguished position and pivotal business role in Rhode Island? As the first Latina elected statewide in New England, I knew coming into office that our government structures frequently present barriers to success to many small-business owners. Growing our economy means making sure all communities can participate. At the Department of State, we are creating tools to reduce [the] opportunity gap. For example, we’re making materials in my Business Services office available in Spanish and we have bilingual personnel to serve the public.
