Providence, RI – Governor Lincoln D. Chafee today announced his nomination of five outstanding Rhode Islanders to positions on the Coastal Resources Management Council (CRMC) Board.
“These five talented, experienced Rhode Islanders will bring a great deal of positive energy, experience, and skill to this important Board,” Governor Chafee said. “I recognize the significant role the CRMC plays in the environmental and economic life of the Ocean State, and I am confident that these new additions will work with the rest of the Board to address the challenges and opportunities surrounding the Rhode Island coastline – which is one of our state’s greatest and most treasured assets.”
The five nominees, whose names have been sent to the Senate for advice and consent, are: Dr. Tony Affigne, Raymond Coia, Guillaume de Ramel, Michael Hudner, and Anne Livingston.
Governor Chafee also praised Michael Tikoian for his “many significant accomplishments” during his time on the Board and tenure as Chairman.
Tikoian was first appointed to the Board in 1993 by Governor Sundlun and was elevated to Chairman by Governor Almond in 1996, a position to which he was reappointed by Governors Almond and Carcieri.
“During Michael Tikoian’s seventeen years with CRMC, the agency has been transformed and expanded from an exclusive permitting agency to a respected oversight, policy and planning agency,” Governor Chafee said. “This is in no small part due to Mike’s leadership. Serving on a high-profile, important Board is a demanding, often thankless task, but I am personally grateful to Mike for his years of committed service and for the many successful CRMC projects, initiatives, and accomplishments that were made possible because of his hard work and determination.”
“I am pleased,” Governor Chafee added, “that Mike has agreed to bring his considerable talents to the Board of Governors for Higher Education, where I know he will be a tremendous addition.”
*** The Coastal Resources Management Council is a management agency with regulatory functions. Its primary responsibility is for the preservation, protection, development and where possible the restoration of the coastal areas of the state via the issuance of permits for work with the coastal zone of the state.
The CRMC is administered by a council who are appointed representatives of the public and state and local government, and a staff of professional engineers, biologists, environmental scientists, and marine resources specialists. It is a state agency created by the General Assembly that balances economic considerations with environmental protection. The decision-making process of the CRMC is conducted in the public eye through regular public hearings. In this manner, the public is given regular opportunities to formally input their comments on how the coastal resources of the state should be managed in Rhode Island. ***
Nominee Biographies:
Dr. Tony Affigne (replacing Michael Tikoian)
Dr. Tony Affigne, M.PA., A.M., PhD. has been closely associated with Rhode Island public policy, civic engagement, and educational systems since 1974 when, while still an undergraduate at Brown University, he was appointed to a subcommittee on equal opportunity for the Rhode Island Postsecondary Education Commission. He is currently a tenured full professor of political science at Providence College, and visiting full professor of ethnic studies at Brown University. As an accomplished research scholar, he holds a national reputation in the academic fields of Latino political studies, environmental policy, and state and local politics.
Dr. Affigne has extensive service experience on Rhode Island boards and task forces; he previously served on public commissions for school desegregation in Providence, K-12 special education, municipal zoning, neighborhood economic development, and affordable housing. He was chair of the City of Providence’s advisory committee to the federal Community Development Block Grant program, and served as a member of Lieutenant Governor Richard Licht’s Hispanic Advisory Council. He has been executive board member, and vice president, for the Rhode Island Latino Political Action Committee (RILPAC), and was previously a member of the Puerto Rican Political Action Committee (PRPAC).
Dr. Affigne has served as Providence College’s Political Science Department chair, and was founding director of its Program in Black Studies.
Dr. Affigne has also been a national leader in faculty development and the social sciences; between 1999 and 2009 he served in various capacities with the 16,000-member American Political Science Association (APSA).
Affigne holds graduate degrees from the University of Rhode Island (Master of Public Administration) and Brown University (Doctor of Philosophy). He is professionally trained in budgeting and personnel systems, institutional planning, instructional technology, and data analysis. He resides in Providence.
Raymond Coia (re-appointment)
Since 1995, Raymond C. Coia, Esq., has served as Tri-Fund Coordinator for the New England Laborers’ Tri-Funds; in this capacity, Mr. Coia coordinates the efforts of three labor management trusts. Prior to his current position, Mr. Coia was for nine years an associate attorney with Coia & Lepore Ltd. in Providence.
Mr. Coia, who has served on the CRMC Board since 2003, is being nominated for reappointment.
In addition to his service with CRMC, Mr Coia is an Auxiliary Judge with the Cranston Municipal Court, Chairman of the Cranston Juvenile Hearing Board, President of the Laborers’ International Union of North America, and Vice Chairman of the Beacon Mutual Insurance Company Board of Directors. Mr. Coia is a member of the Rhode Island, Massachusetts, and American Bar Associations, and is a member of various Bar Association Commitees and Associations. He is a member of the Rhode Island Workers’ Compensation Advisory Council, as well as the Rhode Island Health Services Council.
Mr. Coia received his B.A. from Providence College in 1983 and his J.D. from Boston College Law School in 1986. He resides in Cranston.
Guillaume de Ramel (vacant seat)
Guillaume de Ramel is a Director of F.H. Prince & Co., LLC., a private, family holding company established in Boston in 1885. He is also a trustee of The de Ramel Foundation, a Rhode Island-based private foundation supporting environmental, educational, community, and health initiatives.
Mr. de Ramel is founder of Air Newport, LLP, an air charter service based at Newport State Airport. He previously served as COO of Newport-based Arnold Construction, and as a real estate analyst with Holliday Fenolgio Flower, LP in New York and CMD Realty Investors, LP in Dallas.
Mr. de Ramel was a candidate for Rhode Island Secretary of State in 2006, garnering more than 37,000 votes as a first-time, unendorsed candidate. He is a member of the Steering Committee of the Prince Neurosciences’ Institute at Rhode Island Hospital, Chairman of Newport Hospital’s Wellness Fund for Youth, a member of the Board of the North Country School in Lake Placid, New York, and a former Board member of the MLK Community Center in Newport.
Mr. de Ramel earned his B.A. from Hobart and William Smith Colleges in 1997 and his M.S. in real estate development (with high honors) from Columbia University in 2002. He resides in Newport.
Michael Hudner (replacing Robert Driscoll – expired term)
Michael S. Hudner has been Co-Founder, Chairman, and CEO of the B+H Shipping Group, an international shipowning firm, since 1978.
A native of Swansea, MA, Mr. Hudner is a 1969 graduate of Harvard College and received his J.D. from New York Law School, Evening Division, in 1977.
Mr. Hudner is a member of the Little Compton Harbor Commission, a Director of Phoenix House of New England, a Trustee of the Mystic Seaport Museum, a member of the Roger Williams University School of Law Advisory Committee, and a Director Emeritus of Grow Smart Rhode Island. He has previously been Director and President of RISE (Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education), and is an Overseer and former Trustee of the Sea Education Association, a nonprofit educational organization that offers a hands-on experience in ocean and nautical science to college and high school students through semesters at sea. He is a former Trustee of the Hurricane Island Outward Bound School, and a former Trustee of the Boys' Club of New York. In 2004, Mr. Hudner endowed the operation of a fisheries research vessel, the Hope F. Hudner, at the University of Rhode Island.
Mr. Hudner resides in Little Compton.
Anne Livingston (vacant seat)
Anne Maxwell Livingston has been a Tax Professional with H&R Block since 2003. She has also served as a tax preparer for the Volunteer Income Tax Assistance Program since 1998. Mrs. Livingston previously did legal work with Morneau & Murphy in Providence and Jamestown and served as contract Counsel with Old Stone Bank in Providence. She served as Vice President of Rhode Island Hospital Trust National Bank’s Legal Department from 1979-1990, and as Assistant Counsel with State Mutual Life Assurance Company of Worcester, MA, from 1975-1979.
Mrs. Livingston is Chair of the Jamestown Democratic Town Committee and was a candidate for Jamestown Town Council in 1997 and School Committee in 2001. She is a former Board Chair and member of the Tax Assessment Board of Review in Jamestown. Mrs. Livingston is Treasurer of the Jamestown Arts Center and Newport Performing Arts Center, and is a Board member and past Board President of the Providence Children’s Museum. She is founder and past Treasurer of the Jamestown Education Foundation, a former Board member and President of the Island Moving Company, a former Board member of the Girl Scouts of Rhode Island, and is a former Board president and current Board of Advisors member of the International Institute of Rhode Island.
Mrs. Livingston resides in Jamestown.