What launched John Tuccillo ’84 from student to founder, chairman, and president of an international nonprofit and a global advisor? “The diversity of learning I gained from education in the liberal arts and sciences,” is his answer. A Rhode Island native, Tuccillo graduated from URI’s College of Arts & Sciences with a B.A. in Journalism in 1984. Originally undeclared, Tuccillo says he experimented in almost every discipline to find what felt right for him. He eventually chose journalism because he realized that “the ability to communicate and take very complex ideas and simplify them in a way that could be understood by anybody was, in my mind, a critical talent that I could apply anywhere.” He notes that the breadth of his learning experiences in A&S taught him how to extract value from the many roles he’s pursued and developed since his first day as a journalism major.
After graduating from URI, Tucillo’s passion for trying different things, his flexibility, and the agility he gained from the liberal arts allowed him to elevate his career from being a first writer at a business-to-business agency to being founder, chairman, and president of his global nonprofit, The Green Grid. The nonprofit reflected his interest in how technology can be sustainable, provide economic growth, and create social value. He says that his work with The Green Grid produced foundational work that much of Global IT is still reliant upon. “I am very passionate about learning how to apply a variety of things for growth and social value,” he says. Tuccillo was later recruited by Schneider Electric and ultimately created what would become their external and government affairs office. He attributes his dynamic success to his commitment to always learning something new and applying it to extract social value.
“That diversity of learning, that diversity of exposure, and interactions with others really is, in my mind, one of the terrific values you get from the arts and sciences,” he says. “To me the more diversity you add to the learning and the value extracted, the more powerful the impact can be. It’s a demonstration of how you combine different disciplines of thought and skill to really continually create that value.” As such, Tuccillo notes that his collective experience has helped — and continues to help — many people in business, government, and society. Tuccillo is also a member of the A&S Advisory Council and is deeply involved in volunteerism in his own community. “The mark I want to leave behind is one of contributing to the human equation in ways that are unique and have a profound impact, and to me that’s very satisfying.”
-By Sabrinna Fogarty ’22