SOUTH KINGSTOWN – George Graboys, a former Citizens Financial Group chief executive officer, has been elected chairman of the University of Rhode Island Foundation, the nonprofit that manages the school’s endowment and oversees fundraising and development activities at URI.
Graboys, who served at Citizens’ CEO from 1981 until his retirement in 1992, replaces Mary “Murph” Carmody, whose two-year term ended recently.
Announced today, Graboys selection comes as URI is in the midst of its $100 million Making a Difference capital campaign, which has been hampered by the nation’s economic downturn.
“We are extremely fortunate to have someone of George’s caliber leading our board in these times,” said URI Foundation President Glen R. Kerkian. “The complexities of operating in a faltering national economy and with increasingly dwindling Rhode Island tax resources requires the kind of seasoned business acumen George brings to the table. The entire board looks forward to opening a new chapter in our history under his able leadership.”
Graboys has a history of civic involvement, serving on the R.I. Board of Governors for Higher Education for Higher Education from 1983 to 1991, and as its chairman from 1994 to 1997. In addition, he was chairman of the Children’s Crusade for Higher Education and is the outgoing chairman of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Board of Directors – a post he held for the past three years. Graboys served on that Foundation’s board for a decade.
Graboys joined Citizens Bank in 1969, then rose to executive vice president in 1972, president in 1975 and CEO in 1981. When Citizens Financial was formed in 1984, he became its chief executive.
“There is no one I know in Rhode Island with a greater sense of personal integrity than George,” said Robert Carothers, URI president. “He has shown vision in every role he has played in our state, along with a strong commitment to sound management. George has always been the champion of those who need our help the most, and he believes deeply in the mission of URI.”
Graboys holds degrees from Dartmouth College and the University of Pennsylvania Law School, and he received an honorary doctorate from URI in 1999. He has been awarded four additional honorary doctorates, including one from Rhode Island College in 2007.
The University of Rhode Island Foundation, established in 1957, is an independent nonprofit group charged with managing URI’s fundraising and development activities and the university’s endowment. To learn more, visit www.URIFoundation.org.
