Term renewals and positional changes for current board members were also announced at the public meeting on June 1. The purpose of this meeting, however, was to introduce Brandon F. Brown, ’10, Edwin R. Pacheco, ’05, Gregory S. Perry, ’88, and Christos S. Xenophontos, ’84, M.S. ’85.
Each new member was nominated, cleared, and proposed as a candidate for the executive board. The four have all participated and contributed extensively in the Rhode Island and URI communities.
As the youngest member elected to the board, Brown graduated in May with a bachelor of arts in sociology and political science. He received the 2008 College of Arts and Sciences scholarship award and was a 2009 URI A. Robert Rainville Leadership award nominee and finalist. Brown presented a workshop on student leadership in the Talent Development/G.A.P. Program, and was a student organization consultant, advising organizations of Student Senate policy and procedure. With this experience, Brown was also awarded the 2010 Robert L. Carothers Servant Leadership award.
Brown interned under three different political leaders, beginning with Rhode Island Sen. Harold Metts, U.S. Sen. Jack Reed, and U.S. Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse. He also worked closely with the Rev. Dr. Bernard Lafayette Jr. at URI’s Center for Nonviolence and Peace Studies. Lafayette is a former civil rights leader who worked alongside Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.
A Central Falls resident, Brown has also served on the Rhode Island Board of Governors for Higher Education. He also was on the executive board for the URI NAACP Chapter. Currently, Brown coordinates and supervises engineering, business, construction, and transportation programs for Rhode Island youth at the URI Transportation Center, using federal and state funding to plan different events.
Pacheco is making strides of his own. Since 2001, Pacheco has been in the public office, beginning with the Burrillville School Committee. In 2002, he won the District 47 seat in the Rhode Island House of Representatives and became the youngest state representative in state history. He has successfully introduced legislation regarding campaign finance reform, health care reform, voters’ rights, and job creation.
Pacheco graduated from URI with a bachelor of arts in political science and was the recipient of the Alan Feinstein and Channel 12 Athlete/Student Leadership award. He was also a campaign consultant for the Rhode Island secretary of state, managing grassroots campaigns for northwest Rhode Island. He currently is the executive director for a non-profit organization called Education in Action, where he manages and analyzes the budget, is responsible for community relations, and raised more than one million dollars in donations. Pacheco is also the director of institutional advancement at Exchange City, and is attending Roger Williams University for his masters degree in public administration. He lives in Pascoag with his wife, Claudia.
Perry is another alumnus who remains active in organizations at the University. He has served on the URI Branding Steering Committee, the URI Communications Advisory Council, and the URI Journalism Advisory Group. Perry earned a bachelor of arts with a double major in journalism and political science.
In 2005, Perry was named to the inaugural list of “40 under 40” Influential Professionals by Providence Business News. He has served on various advisory councils and acted as the communications director under the office of Congressman Robert A. Weygand. In different advisory roles, Perry has provided media relations for a group of Fortune 500 companies and has directed national crisis communication efforts. Since then, Perry became the senior vice president at Prism Public Affairs, where he established a New England office for Washington, D.C. based public affairs boutique. He founded the Perry Group, LLC, in 2009, where he serves as president for this reputation management and strategic communications firm. Perry is a resident of East Providence.
Since receiving his bachelor of science and master of science from URI, Xenophontos remains an active member in the Rhode Island Alumni chapters. He now works for the Rhode Island Department of Transportation as an administrator of contracts and specifications. Xenophontos resides in Exeter with his wife, Barbara.
The new board members will serve until June 30, 2013.