James Diossa Appointed To Trustee Role By President Joe Biden

CENTRAL FALLS, RI — President Joe Biden on Tuesday nominated 11 individuals to serve in key roles, and one of those named is James Diossa, the former Mayor of Central Falls.

Diossa is nominated to the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. He joins 10 others recommended to ambassadorships and to positions involving drug policy, defense, commerce, global health and more, the White House announced on Tuesday.

The James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation was established by Congress in 1986 to improve teaching about the United States Constitution in secondary schools. It's funded through Congress and through private donations.

Diossa in 2012 became the youngest mayor ever elected in Rhode Island and the first Latino mayor of Central Falls. As a former city councilor, he fought to keep the city's post office and library from closing. He served two terms as mayor and is credited with introducing reforms in city government.

"Residents of formerly bankrupt Central Falls, Rhode Island, will elect a new mayor on Tuesday after former mayor Charles Moreau pleaded guilty to corruption charges, Reuters reported at the time. "The election pits front runner James Diossa, a 28-year-old who has been a city councilman since 2010, against former police Chief Joseph Moran. The winner will serve out the remainder of Moreau’s term."

James Diossa speaks at the June 2021 launch of a youth kayak program in Central Falls. (Mary Serreze/Patch)

The White House said of Diossa:

“Assuming leadership of a postindustrial urban city in the midst of municipal bankruptcy proceedings, he sought to tackle these challenges head-on. Through hard work and the development of strategic partnerships, James turned Central Falls around, stabilizing the city’s finances and raising its long-term bond rating to investment grade.”

Diossa secured millions of dollars in federal, foundation, and private sector funding to improve the city’s quality of life and infrastructure, the White House said.

The announcement highlighted Diossa's organizing skills:

“Most recently, James led efforts to partner with the neighboring city of Pawtucket to create a unified response to the COVID-19 pandemic, which included organizing a volunteer corps and engaging the former head of the Rhode Island Department of Health to serve as the city’s Chief Health Strategist,” it read.

Diossa holds a bachelor’s degree in criminal justice from Becker College. Born and raised in Central Falls, Diossa “is the proud son of Colombian immigrants and a lifelong soccer enthusiast.” He and his lifelong partner Sandra have a beautiful daughter, Arianna Hallel, the Biden administration noted.

Diossa is currently a senior advisor at Brown University’s The Policy Lab. When he did not run for mayor again in 2020 he endorsed then-council president Maria Rivera in the mayor's race. Rivera went on to win the election. Diossa at the time said he and Rivera had worked closely together to bring fiscal responsibility to Central Falls and to push for progress.

Terrence K. Wright will join Diossa as a second nominee to the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation. Wright is a former Senate staffer for Biden who retired and now serves on the Delaware Heritage Commission. He is involved in community and land use planning and produced the film “Delaware and Gettysburg: The Story of Delaware, Delawareans, and The Battle that Determined America’s Future.”

The 11 July 13 Biden nominees are:

• Rahul Gupta, Nominee for Director of National Drug Control Policy
• Gabe Camarillo, Nominee for Under Secretary of the Army, Department of Defense
• Alan Estevez, Nominee for Under Secretary for Industry and Security, Department of Commerce
• Jeff Lane Flake, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Turkey
• Kent Doyle Logsdon, Nominee for Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to the Republic of Moldova
• Atul Gawande, Nominee for Assistant Administrator of the Bureau for Global Health, United States Agency for International Development
• Lisa Wang, Nominee for Assistant Secretary for Enforcement and Compliance, Department of Commerce
• Chester John Culver, Nominee for Member of the Board of Directors of the Federal Agricultural Mortgage Corporation
• Rich Trumka, Jr., Nominee for Commissioner of the Consumer Product Safety Commission
• James A. Diossa, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation
• Terrence K. Wright, Nominee for Member of the Board of Trustees of the James Madison Memorial Fellowship Foundation

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