R.I. Foundation selects 13 nonprofit executives for fellowships

THIRTEEN nonprofit mid-career executives have been selected for fellowships by the Rhode Island Foundation that will enable them to take short sabbaticals to re-charge and energize their leadership skills. Here are three from Cranston, from left to right: Jonny Skye, Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education; Kerri Kanelos, Youth Pride; and Deb Meunier, Fusionworks. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION
THIRTEEN nonprofit mid-career executives have been selected for fellowships by the Rhode Island Foundation that will enable them to take short sabbaticals to re-charge and energize their leadership skills. Here are three from Cranston, from left to right: Jonny Skye, Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education; Kerri Kanelos, Youth Pride; and Deb Meunier, Fusionworks. / COURTESY RHODE ISLAND FOUNDATION

PROVIDENCE – The Rhode Island Foundation has selected 13 nonprofit mid-career executives for fellowships that enable them to take short sabbaticals to re-charge and energize their leadership skills.
The program is conducted through the foundation’s Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence.
Fellows design their own 18-month curriculum and participate in periodic group meetings to share their challenges and progress. Participants receive stipends of up to $10,000 to underwrite their activities; their organizations receive $5,000 grants to compensate them for the time away.
This year’s executives include: Bradley Brockmann, executive director of the Center for Prisoner Health and Human Rights at The Miriam Hospital; Kathleen Cloutier, executive director of the Dorcas International Institute of Rhode Island; Leslie Gell, director of Ready to Learn Providence; and Tricia Jedele, vice president of the Conservation Law Foundation and director of the Rhode Island Advocacy Center.
Also: Kerri Kanelos, executive director of Youth Pride; Julius Kolawole, president of the African Alliance of Rhode Island; Marta V. Martínez, founder and project director of Rhode Island Latino Arts; Deb Meunier, director of Fusionworks; Andy Posner, founder and CEO of the Capitol Good Fund; and Jonny Skye, executive director of Rhode Islanders Sponsoring Education.
Also: Howie Sneider, executive director of The Steel Yard; Jonathan Stone, executive director of Save the Bay, and Raymond Watson, executive director of the Mt. Hope Neighborhood Association.
Jill Pfitzenmayer, Initiative for Nonprofit Excellence vice president, said the fellows program has proven to be “a powerful and effective vehicle” for strengthening leadership skills.
This year’s planned activities range from volunteering as a management consultant for a nonprofit in Romania to traveling the United States and Europe meeting with top sector leaders. Since 2000, more than 170 nonprofit executives have participated in the program.
Part of Stone’s sabbatical exploration will involve an intensive apprenticeship in glass-blowing, which he says he hopes will lead to development of “a more creative, open and accessible approach to problem solving.”
Cloutier will integrate arts and crafts lessons into the education of at risk school-age children in Laos.
“I hope to expand the breadth and depth of my leadership abilities by challenging myself in areas where I have little or no experience nor identified talents,” she said. “These experiences will allow me to recognize unexplored strengths and talents, increasing confidence in my untapped abilities and expanding my inner capacity as a leader.”

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