Providence, RI – When Governor Lincoln D. Chafee announced his appointments to the Rhode Island Board of Regents yesterday, he chose four Rhode Islanders who, collectively, possess extensive experience and familiarity with education issues.
Carolina B. Bernal is Program Director at Warwick’s Institute for Labor Studies & Research (ILSR), a private, non-profit educational facility dedicated to providing a wide variety of education and training programs that are responsive to the needs of Rhode Island residents. The Institute’s courses, seminars and workshops range from job skills training, ESL and GED, to labor education and leadership training as well as online courses which are open to members of the labor community as well as the community at large. In her role at ILSR, Carolina oversees initiatives such as: education and training programs; the Student’s Guide to Health and Safety on the Job and Workplace Rights; Using Labor History in the Classroom; and the Career Transition program. Carolina received her Associate’s Degree from the Community College of Rhode Island, and her children are currently enrolled in East Providence public schools. She is a Board member of the Boys & Girls Club of East Providence.
Robert L. Carothers has devoted his entire professional career to education. Currently president emeritus and distinguished university professor at the University of Rhode Island (URI), Dr. Carothers served as the University’s tenth president for 18 years. During his tenure, the University increased enrollment of the best and brightest students in the state and region, improved its physical campus environment, increased diversity among students, faculty and staff, and enhanced its levels of alumni, corporate, and state support. He also worked to forge links with universities and agencies around the world to foster collaborations in the academic, business and public policy arenas. Dr. Carothers' determination to transform URI led to positive national recognition, including The Princeton Review naming the University a "college with a conscience" in the spring of 2005 and URI being featured in The Princeton Review's Colleges with a Conscience: 81 Great Schools with Outstanding Community Involvement. Dr. Carothers began his career in education as a graduate assistant, teaching fellow and instructor at Kent State University in 1965, and subsequently served as: a summer instructor at Alliance College; instructor, assistant professor, associate professor and full professor at Edinboro University in Pennsylvania; Chairman of the English Department at Edinboro; Dean of the School of Arts & Humanities at Edinboro; Vice President for Administration and Student Personnel Services at Edinboro; President of Minnesota’s Southwest State University; and Chancellor of the Minnesota State University System. He came to URI in 1991, and served as president of the University until 2009. In 2005, Dr. Carothers was honored at the annual meeting of the American Council on Education, in Washington, D.C., where he received the first Council of Fellows Outstanding Mentor Award. He is also the recipient of the President's Leadership Group Award from the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism for establishing some of the most comprehensive alcohol abuse programs in American higher education. In 2008, Dr. Carothers received the Eleanor M. McMahon Award for Lifetime Achievement from The New England Board of Higher Education in recognition of his achievements at URI and his career as an innovator in higher education. Dr. Carothers is active on the boards of many civic and professional organizations, including the Leadership Council of the American Council on Education, Citizens Bank, the National Conference for Community and Justice, and the Rhode Island Economic Policy Council.
George D. Caruolo was a member of the Rhode Island House of Representatives from 1981 to 1998, representing District 86, and served as House Majority Leader from 1993 to 1998. During his time as a state representative, Caruolo was an active participant in the push to improve public education in Rhode Island. He was an early proponent of charter schools, and was a sponsor of the 1996 law requiring uniform statewide reporting of standardized test scores for each school. Caruolo also sponsored passage of the so-called “Caruolo Act,” which established a mechanism for the resolution of budget disputes between school committees and the appropriating branch of the municipal governments. Among his many legislative accomplishments is the creation of the Legislative Policy Office, which he oversaw, as well as his role as principal leadership negotiator for five state budgets, including several with significant deficit percentages. Caruolo’s long and diverse career also included work as an arbitrator with the Rhode Island Department of Education, focusing on disputes involving special needs students.
Mathies J. Santos is currently the Outreach Associate for Rhode Island at the Boston Veteran Affairs Research Institute (BVARI), and previously held a number of positions with the Rhode Island Department of Elementary and Secondary Education, including: Executive Assistant to the Commissioner/Director of Equity and Access; Executive Assistant to the Commissioner/Legislative Liaison and Administrator for the Commissioner’s Legal Office; Project Director for the National Origin Desegregation Program; and Consultant for Program Development. From 1974 to 1980, Santos worked in a number of offices at Rhode Island College, including Residential Life, Student Activities, Financial Aid, and Career Development. Santos also served as Governor Edward D. DiPrete’s Senior Policy Analyst for Education. From 2002 to 2010, Santos, a member of the Air National Guard, served in a number of positions at the Rhode Island National Guard (RING), including: Project Director for the Ocean State Youth ChalleNGe Academy Program; State Family Program Director; State Equal Employment Manager; and Management Control Analyst for the Office of the Executive Director of Employer Support. Santos is a graduate of Providence public schools, Brown University, where he earned a B.A. in Secondary Education and Italian Studies, and Rhode Island College, where he earned a B.A. in Managerial Economics. He is a City Year Rhode Island mentor, is involved with Brown’s ALANA mentoring program, and is a past member of the Board of Governors of the Providence Boys & Girls Club. His two children attended Providence public schools.