Speakers

Leigh Vincola is the Director of Advancement at Farm Fresh Rhode Island and has been working toward food system sustainability in New England for a couple decades. Over the years she’s come at this work from a variety of angles including as an urban gardener, writer, marketing and PR specialist, event planner, and most recently, restaurant owner. After almost 10 years in Providence, she feels deeply rooted to the Ocean State’s food community and committed to making fresh food accessible to all.  Learn more about Farm Fresh RI by clicking here.

We have invited Woonsocket Rotary Club President Nicole Brien to talk about the 'just for you' Giving Center, which helps families in the Woonsocket area meet clothing and other basic needs. More information is available here.

President Brien is also president of Bourget & Associates, Inc. in Woonsocket. Her husband, Jon Brien, is also a Rotarian.

Annette Bourne is the research & policy director for HousingWorks RI at Roger Williams University (HWRI). She is responsible for the overall management of the research program, including the annual Housing Fact Book, which details housing affordability and its relationship to Rhode Island’s economy and its impacts on health and educational outcomes. 

Bruce Rutter, of the Duxbury Rotary Club, helped create with other Rotarians a social justice initiative called Duxbury for All, focusing on diversity, equity and inclusion.  He’ll be speaking about Duxbury for All and its mission of being a change agent in that community.   https://www.duxburyforall.org/

He’s a past president of the Duxbury Rotary Club and a Paul Harris Fellow,  is currently a marketing consultant, and formerly served as CEO of the Rhode Island Red Cross.  He continues to have strong family ties to Rhode Island. https://www.brucerutter.com/

Sara Corben created the Weird Island podcast when she couldn't find the podcast she wanted to hear - an audio guide to weird places and hidden treasures in the Ocean State. Like:

-The forgetten history of Rhode Island's drive-in theaters;

- The East Side train tunnel;

-The elephant shot dead on a bridge in Chepachet in 1826;

-The story of "The Pyramid of Pawtucket," the Apex Department Store;

And much more.  Check out the "Weird Island" podcast here, on Spotify and other places that post podcasts.  And don't miss this meeting.  Sara has plenty of stories to share that will delight and raise an eyebrow!