The fifteenth annual Distinguished Achievement Awards ceremony was held Saturday, October 23, 2021, at the Newport Marriott, Newport Rhode Island.

Watch the awards ceremony and view photos from the event.

Congratulations to the Award Recipients

President’s Award

Tricia J. Black ’95
Founder and Partner, Amplifyher Ventures

Tricia J. Black founded Amplifyher Ventures, a venture capital firm, in 2018 with a mission to put more women in leadership roles. She holds a B.A. in journalism from the University of Rhode Island. Early in her career, she was hired as Facebook’s first vice president of sales, becoming its seventh employee. She has also served in executive sales and marketing roles at several high-growth businesses, including Collegiate Advantage, Student Advantage, and Y2M (Youth Media and Marketing Networks). She, her husband Patrick, and sons Jack and Ben, are active in their community and support various nonprofits through the Black Brogan Foundation, a foundation they created to support empowerment and education. She is also a member of the Women’s Leadership Board at the Harvard Kennedy School.

James P. Clappin ’80, P ’17James Clappin
Retired Vice Chairman, Corning Incorporated

Jim Clappin joined Corning Incorporated in 1980 as a process engineer at its manufacturing plant in Central Falls, Rhode Island. He holds a bachelor’s degree in chemical engineering from the University of Rhode Island and enjoyed a 41-year career focusing on materials science, manufacturing and engineering excellence, and global growth and business development. Throughout his tenure at Corning, he helped propel the company throughout the LCD revolution by driving the expansion of Corning’s display business across Asia and building several of the world’s largest LCD glass manufacturing plants. He retired from his role as vice chairman of Corning in August 2021. He and his wife Doreen raised three daughters while living in Asia for 20 years from 1996 to 2016.

Christopher SavoieChristopher J. Savoie ’92, P ’21
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Zapata Computing Inc.

Christopher J. Savoie is a scientist and licensed attorney with 20-plus years of experience in the technology industry. He holds a bachelor’s degree in biology, which he earned at the University of Rhode Island in just three years, a doctorate in molecular medicine, and a law degree. Throughout his career, he has focused on the intersection of machine learning, biology, and chemistry. Along with founding Zapata, a Cambridge, Massachusetts-based quantum computing software company, he has founded several cutting-edge, high-tech companies, including GNI, a pharmaceutical company that commercialized his innovations in computational drug design. He developed the technology that became the basis for Apple’s Siri, has led big data analytics efforts at Nissan, and has served as vice chairman of the American Bar Association’s Big Data Committee.

Corporate Award
FM Global

Established in Rhode Island 185 years ago by textile mill owner Zachariah Allen, FM Global is the state’s largest private company and one of the world’s largest commercial property insurers. Headquartered in the town of Johnston, FM Global insures one of every three Fortune 1000 companies and similarly sized organizations in over 130 countries. The company, which ranks among the Fortune 500, employs more than 5,400 across 60-plus offices worldwide, including approximately 1,200 in Rhode Island. Clients choose FM Global to develop robust property insurance and engineering solutions that protect their business operations so they’re more resilient to fire, natural disasters, and other property-related risks.

Rising Star Award

Eugenio Fernandez Jr. ’13, M.B.A. ’13, Pharm.D. ’13
Founder, Asthenis

Athletic Director’s Award

Shannon E. Chandley ’83, P ’12, P ’22
Senator, New Hampshire State Senate

Thomas J. Silvia ’83, P ’12, P ’22

Deans’ Awards

Graduate School of Oceanography
Candace A. Oviatt, Ph.D. ’67
Research Professor, University of Rhode Island

College of Arts and Sciences
Bruce D. Campbell ’62
Retired President and Owner, Coto Technology

College of Business
Col. LaMont J. Wells ’74
U.S. Army, Retired
Chief Growth Officer, Obsidian Solutions Group

Alan Shawn Feinstein College of Education and Professional Studies
Marie Campopiano DiBiasio ’61, M.A. ’68
Retired Educator

College of Engineering
Russell D. Ide ’69, P ’96, P ’97, P ’99, P ’02, P ’18, P ’20
President and Chief Executive Officer, Ride Inc.

College of the Environment and Life Sciences
Peter A. Mottur ’92
Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Vizsafe Inc.

College of Health Sciences
Christopher S. Yun ’88
Owner, Lexa Enterprises Inc.

College of Nursing
Deborah Godfrey-Brown, M.S. ’79
Associate Professor Emerita, University of Rhode Island

College of Pharmacy
Henrique T. Pedro ’76
Clinical Pharmacist, Lifespan