Washington, D.C. – The State Society of Rhode Island (SSRI), a 501(c)(3) nonpartisan organization, announces the election of a new executive team, as well as the full slate of board of directors for 2019-2020. Lauren Broccoli will once again lead the executive team for 2019-2020 as Chairwoman, with Vice Chair Nicole Henry, Treasurer Michael Giblin, and Secretary Francesca D’Andrea.
Lauren Broccoli was born and raised in Rhode Island, where she attended St. Mary’s Academy-Bay View in East Providence. After earning her undergraduate degree at Boston University, Lauren returned to Rhode Island to attend Roger Williams University School of Law, where she earned her J.D. in 2012. After working for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse's 2014 Senate campaign, Lauren relocated to DC and worked for Congressman Jim Langevin.
Currently, Lauren is a lobbyist at Lewis-Burke Associates LLC, a full-service government relations firm based in D.C. specializing in higher education and research policy. Lauren is extremely passionate about preserving the unique traditions of Rhode Island in Washington, DC. and has previously served as SSRI Treasurer for the past 4 years.
Nicole Henry was born and raised in Newport and Middletown, Rhode Island. Upon graduating from the University of Rhode Island, Nicole became involved in Rhode Island Politics where she interned with the Rhode Island Democratic Party and worked for Senator Sheldon Whitehouse’s 2014 Senate campaign.
Currently, Nicole works as a legislative correspondent to Senator Gary Peters. Prior to her role, she supported the executive team at CTIA, a trade association representing the wireless industry.
Michael Giblin was born and raised in Rhode Island. Michael is a graduate of Portsmouth High School and the University of Rhode Island, where he earned his B.A. in History and M.A. in Political Science.
Michael has been actively involved in Rhode Island politics, having interned with Senator Jack Reed, worked on numerous campaigns, and served as Treasurer of the Young Democrats of Rhode Island. He moved to DC in 2013 to work in the Political Law Group at Perkins Coie, LLP. He now works in Political Affairs for the American Academy of Dermatology.
Michael has been a state society board member since 2014. He is passionate about Rhode Island's history, culture, food, and the Rhode Island Rams basketball team.
Francesca D’Andrea, a native of Cranston, spent the last three years living on the West End and East sides of Providence before moving to Washington, D.C. to complete a graduate degree in Public Administration.
Prior to moving to D.C., Francesca served her community as an educator through the AmeriCorps program in the International Charter School and at Save The Bay. Continuing her focus on community service, she spent the last three years working as a Case Manager for adults with developmental and intellectual disabilities before moving to DC. Currently, she works as a Grant Writer for a national nonprofit consulting firm.
Joining SSRI in 2018, Francesca is excited to foster a sense of community for Rhode Islanders in Washington D.C. in her second term as Secretary of the SSRI Board of Directors.
The 2019-2020 Board of Directors includes:
Andrew Odgren, U.S. Senate
Andrew Cutler, ASIS International
Andrew DiIorio, Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center for Science and International Affairs
Alexandra Kemp, Raytheon
Rachel Marie Paquin, American University. Rachel serves as Director of SSRI Communications
Amy Pellegrino, U.S. Senate
Michael Rogers, Greenberg Traurig, LLC.
Chris Simeone, BGR Group
Jason Soules, Leidos
Kristen Helmstetter, Communications Workers of America, AFL-CIO
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The State Society of Rhode Island (SSRI) is a 501(c)(3), nonpartisan organization in Washington, D.C., serving as the premier resource for Rhode Islanders who live, work, or study in the nation’s capital. Our active Board of Directors provides social, community service, cultural, and educational events to our membership, creating networking opportunities and a strong Ocean State community in Washington.