Blithewold Trustee Gets Chafee's Nomination for Board of Education

Among the 10 nominees to the Rhode Island Board of Education proposed by Gov. Lincoln Chafee on Tuesday is Joan C. Abrams, a Trustee of .

Abrams, a 1971 graduate of Simmons College and a current professor of Communications there, holds an MPA from the John F. Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University, according to a release issued by the governor's office.

Following her graduation from Harvard, the statement noted, Abrams "joined Xerox as one of the first women recruited for sales and marketing in the New England area. Abrams went on to a career in marketing at Honeywell, Inc. where she rose to the position of Director of Market Support/Communications. She then established and managed a marketing and communications consulting practice, Executive Communications, in Bristol, RI, before joining the Simmons faculty in 1998."

Abrams has also served as President and Volunteer Executive Director of the Festival of Ballet in Rhode Island, President of Save the Bay, and chaired Save the Bay's recent $10 million capital campaign.

Chafee's statement also noted that Abrams is the co-chair of the College Wide Faculty Fiscal Affairs Committee, and also co-chairs a subcommittee of the New England Association of Schools and Colleges (NEASC) accreditation processes.

The state House of Representatives first approved a bill last summer eliminating the former two-board structure governing education in Rhode Island in favor of a single board.

Last week, the state Senate passed a bill that would delay the start of the new board until March. The House version of the bill has been referred to that chamber's Finance Committee.

Other nominees were: Eva-Marie Mancuso for chairwoman, Antonio Barajas, MD; Michael H. Bernstein; Colleen A. Callahan; Karin L. Forbes; Patrick A. Guida; William C. Maaia, Esq.; Lawrence Purtill; and Mathies J. Santos.