Grzybowski named Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center executive director

AMY GRZYBOWSKI has been named executive director of the new Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center. / COURTESY TWITTER
AMY GRZYBOWSKI has been named executive director of the new Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center. / COURTESY TWITTER

WESTERLY – Amy Grzybowski has been named executive director of the Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center, the R.I. Office of the Postsecondary Commissioner announced in a statement Monday.

Jim Purcell, commissioner of postsecondary education, said: “We are pleased to welcome Amy to our team. Her knowledge of Westerly, her leadership and economic development experience make her an ideal candidate to lead this venture.”

Grzybowski is currently director of development services and director of emergency management for the town of Westerly and will lead the facility when it opens in November.

“I am honored to serve as the first executive director of the Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center. This facility brings tremendous opportunity for workforce development, job training, economic development and public-private partnerships,” she said.
Since 2012, Grzybowski has led building, planning, zoning and economic development efforts for the town of Westerly, including securing and managing more than $13 million in grant funding and overseeing the town’s recovery from Superstorm Sandy.
As interim town manager, she was responsible for more than 160 employees, an $84 million budget, and all operations for the town. She holds master’s and bachelor’s degrees in administration of justice from Salve Regina University, and she has taught courses on homeland security and emergency management for the Community College of Rhode Island and Salve Regina University.
Designed to bring together higher education, business, industry and community partners to serve the workforce and community needs of southwestern Rhode Island and the state, the Westerly Higher Education and Industry Center is a public-private collaboration administered by the RIOPC. At 34,500 square feet, the facility will provide instructional and lab space for hands-on, industry-ready training programs with General Dynamics Electric Boat and CCRI as anchor partners.
The facility is slated to partially open in November with programs in pipefitting, sheet metal and electrical work, with space for CCRI, Rhode Island College, the University of Rhode Island and other higher education institutions to expand their course offerings as well. 

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