URI Foundation names Ryan ’75 as chairman

THOMAS M. RYAN, former chairman and CEO of CVS Health Corp., has been named chairman of the board of directors of the URI Foundation. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO/DANIEL BARRY
THOMAS M. RYAN, former chairman and CEO of CVS Health Corp., has been named chairman of the board of directors of the URI Foundation. / BLOOMBERG NEWS FILE PHOTO/DANIEL BARRY

SOUTH KINGSTOWN – Thomas M. Ryan, a member of the University of Rhode Island’s Class of 1975 and former chairman and CEO of CVS Health Corp., was elected as chairman of the URI Foundation board of directors, the school announced Tuesday.

Ryan said he was at a point where he could commit his time to furthering the state university, calling it a “special place.”

“I owe a great deal of my success to the education I received here, and I am pleased to have this opportunity to help assist URI and the foundation team in its efforts to help future generations of students,” he added.

URI President David M. Dooley said he was grateful to Ryan for taking on the “critical role” at, what he called, a “very important time” for the school. “As we look ahead to planning URI’s future, Tom’s leadership, insights and commitment to supporting URI’s mission will be invaluable resources,” he said.

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Lil O’Rourke, who has served as the URI Foundation president since last spring, said she is excited the alumnus is joining the organization and looks forward to the leadership he will provide in securing a financially-sound future for the university.

Ryan takes up the reigns as Lorne Adrain ’76, who has served as chairman since 2014, steps down.

O’Rourke noted the school has been fortunate in its high-quality leadership and said Adrain had a “positive impact” on both the foundation and URI.

Ryan, who retired from CVS in 2011, graduated from URI’s College of Pharmacy in 1975. Later on he and his wife Cathy, established the George & Anne Ryan Institute for Neuroscience at URI through a $15 million gift. The institute focuses its research, teaching and outreach on neurodegenerative diseases and disorders, like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and ALS.

He has also donated to the College of Pharmacy as well as URI’s athletics program and the construction of the Ryan Center, the URI athletics and entertainment venue which opened in 2002.

Ryan was elected as chairman, a volunteer post, at the foundation’s board of director’s meeting on Sept. 22nd. The foundation’s trustees ratified the vote the next day and his tenure began immediately.

In addition to Ryan, several other new members were also appointed to the URI Foundation executive board, including Joe O’Neil ’75, Deb Imondi ’83 and David Buckanavage ’80.

The URI Foundation is an independent 501(c)3 created by the state’s legislature in 1957. From 1957-2007, the Foundation focused primarily on managing the URI endowment. At the start of 2008, the organization assumed fundraising responsibility for the university as well.

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