SMITHFIELD – For the fourth time in five years, the John H. Chafee Center for International Business at Bryant University has a new director.
The university announced Monday that Jason Kelly, who has more than 35 years of leadership in both corporate and startup environments, has been named the Chafee Center’s new director. Kelly succeeds Eva-Marie Mancuso, a former chairwoman of the R.I. Board of Education, as director.
It is currently unclear when and why Mancuso, who
became the Chafee Center’s director last August, left the organization. Bryant officials did not immediately respond Tuesday to requests for comment from Providence Business News.
Bryant says Kelly has led economic development efforts regionally and internationally, and previously served as executive vice president of Providence-based Moran Shipping Agencies Inc. He also previously co-founded Attender Inc., a green maritime digital marketplace, Bryant says, and served as co-founder and executive in residence for SeaAhead, a blue-tech venture capital platform.
The university says that under Kelly’s leadership, the Chafee Center’s flagship event, World Trade Day, has been repositioned as the Global Trade Summit, a platform for growth, learning, and building connections, supporting the missions of both Bryant and the state. Kelly said in a statement he in his new role plans to engage with the Bryant community and offer students an active seat at the table, providing transformational learning experiences that hone their passions and prepare them to lead on a global stage.
“I look forward to leveraging my experience in trade and logistics to foster a collaborative and innovative environment that equips local businesses with the skills and knowledge necessary to thrive in an evolving global marketplace,” Kelly said. “I’m excited to support our young leaders on campus by marrying economic development with academia. We’re poised to do great things.”
However, the Chafee Center has seen significant leadership turnover recently. Kelly is the fourth Chafee Center director since 2019 after the late Raymond W. Fogarty
died on Sept. 27, 2018.
Former PBN editor Mark S. Murphy led the Chafee Center for more than two years before
leaving in January 2022. Then in June 2022, Andrew Gelfuso was
brought aboard to lead the Chafee Center and then
stepped down less than a year later to pursue other professional opportunities. Two months after Gelfuso left, Mancuso became the Chafee Center’s director, a tenure that also lasted approximately just one year.
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 X at @James_Bessette.
