Distinguished Achievement Awards

2017 Distinguished Achievement Awards & Gala

Saturday, October 14, 2017
Newport Marriott  •  Newport, Rhode Island

Enjoy photos from the weekend events and the awards ceremony.

Watch the video.

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The Distinguished Achievement Awards honor those who personify URI’s tradition of excellence in achievement, leadership, and service.

Award recipients are selected by a committee of representatives from the Office of the President, the Office of the Provost, Communications and Community Relations, the URI Foundation and the URI Alumni Association, and by the academic deans from each of the colleges.

2017 Distinguished Achievement
Awards Recipients

PRESIDENT’S AWARDS

William B. Gould IV ’58, Charles A. Beardsley Professor of Law, Emeritus, Stanford University

A labor and discrimination law scholar, William B. Gould IV has been an influential voice on worker-management relations for over fifty years. He served as the National Labor Relations Board chairman from 1994–1998 and as the California Agricultural Labor Relations Board chairman from 2014–2017. A member of the National Academy of Arbitrators since 1970, Gould has arbitrated and mediated more than 300 labor disputes. In 2011–2012, he was special advisor to the Department of Housing and Urban Development on project labor agreements. Professor Gould is a critically acclaimed author of 10 books and more than 60 law review articles, and has received five honorary doctorates for his significant contributions in the fields of labor law and labor relations.

Marc S. Perlman ’69, CEO, Ocean State Job Lot
Claire Perlman ’73

Marc Perlman co-founded Ocean State Job Lot in 1977 with his brother, Alan, and college friend, Roy Dubs. Raised in N.Y., Perlman graduated from URI with a bachelor’s degree in engineering. He is now CEO of one of the country’s leading discount retailers, named to the 2017 Forbes list of America’s Best Employers. Perlman is involved in numerous other businesses, including restaurants, auto dealerships, soap manufacturing, food distribution, water purification, merchandise distribution, and commercial and residential real estate. Perlman’s philanthropy is far-reaching. Job Lot’s Three Square Meals is the largest family meal assistance program of its kind in the region. OSJL has committed $10 million to Boston Medical Center and supports over 50 nonprofits focused on hunger relief, veteran support, education, health care, literacy, and more.

Claire Perlman is a philanthropist and volunteer, supporting organizations locally and across the globe. A graduate of the URI College of Nursing, she worked at hospitals in New York City before relocating back to R.I. Currently, she brings her nursing background to her involvement with the URI College of Nursing Advisory Council and the board of trustees of Boston Medical Center. Perlman has participated in medical mission trips to Belize and Cambodia, working alongside ophthalmologist Michael Morley, M.D. to provide eye care and cataract surgery. She was particularly motivated by opportunities to help the people of Cambodia—supporting the building of eight schools and the provision of clean drinking water through the nonprofit Water for Cambodia.

Amica Insurance, Corporate Award

Amica Insurance is the oldest mutual insurer of automobiles in the U.S. Founded in 1907 in Providence, Rhode Island, Amica now employs more than 3,800 people in 44 offices across the country. Amica is consistently named one of the Best Places to Work in Rhode Island, and it recently earned an Exemplary Worksite Health Award from Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. Amica also proudly supports a range of community initiatives, including health and human services, the arts, and education. Amica has been a longstanding supporter of the University of Rhode Island and its various programs and colleges.

RISING STAR AWARD

Presented by the Graduate School
Abigail Anthony, Ph.D. ’09, Commissioner, Rhode Island Public Utilities Commission

ATHLETIC DIRECTOR’S AWARD

Gregory P. Barber
Geraldine M. Barber ’70

DEANS’ AWARDS

College of Arts and Sciences
Jonathan C. Herman ’99, Chief Operating Officer, Preferred Home Health Care & Nursing Services, Inc.

College of Business Administration
Jesse Baker ’96, Owner, Principal and Co-Founder, Freehold Capital Management

Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies
Jane E. Picciotti ’00, Assistant Head of School, Highlander Charter School

College of Engineering
Domenic Joseph Mainelli ’48, Chief Engineer, Providence Water Supply Board (retired) and Special Projects Engineer (retired), Rhode Island Department of Transportation

College of the Environment and Life Sciences
David A. Bengtson, M.S. ’74, Ph.D. ’82, Professor Emeritus, University of Rhode Island

College of Health Sciences
Michael K. Andreozzi ’88, Chief Executive Officer, Beltone New England

College of Nursing
Barbara Hazard ’61, M.S. ’74, Dean Emerita, William F. Connell School of Nursing at Boston College

College of Pharmacy
John A. Stoukides ’85, Chief, Division of Geriatrics and Palliative Medicine, Roger Williams Medical Center

Graduate School of Oceanography
Dennis R. Costello, Managing Partner, Braemar Energy Ventures