New Foundation Board Members Elected
KINGSTON, RI – August 20, 2010 – The University of Rhode Island Foundation has announced the addition of four new members to its executive board. The appointments were approved at the Board’s annual trustees meeting held on June 19, 2010. All four individuals, who are alumni of the University, will serve three-year terms.
Lorne Adrain ’76, owns and operates an insurance practice focused on serving entrepreneurs and businesses across the country. He was a founding director of the Beacon Mutual Insurance Company and served as an executive with AT&T for several years. Adrain has significant experience providing businesses with startup plans, turnaround strategies and equity financings. He is co-founder of Social Venture Partners of Rhode Island, which engages successful entrepreneurs in innovative community initiative and also serves as a member of the Rhode Island Foundation’s Board of Directors, the Business Innovation Factory and Big Picture Schools. Adrain is former chairman of the RI Special Olympics and the founder of the initiative to create National Neighborhood Day. He also founded KindMark, a leader in the creation of software technologies that advance philanthropy. A published author of The Most Important Thing I Know series, he is a graduate of URI’s College of Business Administration and holds an MBA from Harvard University.
Phillip Kydd ’81, acting deputy director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT), received his undergraduate degree from the College of Arts and Sciences. Kydd previously served as assistant director for administration with the RIDOT, responsible for contract administration, community and business resource management, highway safety and the coordination and development of transportation education and outreach programs at colleges and universities, including URI. He managed contract awards exceeding $1 billion, and established the $12 million Transportation Center of Excellence at URI. He is the recipient of a number of professional awards and serves on a variety of professional, community and philanthropic boards and committees, including the Rhode Island Hospital and Miriam Hospital Board of Directors. Kydd is a former president of the URI Alumni Association and is presently vice chairman of the board of Coastway Community Bank. A former URI basketball player, Kydd was inducted into the URI Athletics Hall of Fame in 2009.
Dr. Margaret Leinen ’80, is the founder of the Climate Response Fund and is a former dean of the URI Graduate School of Oceanography (1991-2001). An internationally noted oceanographer, biogeochemist and science administrator, Leinen served with the US National Science Foundation
from 2000 to 2007, during which time she chaired the US Global Change Research Program, the entity charged with coordinating all US federal climate science investments. She has served on a number of professionally related committees and boards and currently chairs the Atmospheric and Hydrologic Sciences Section of the American Association for the Advancement of Science. Leinen received her PhD from the URI Graduate School of Oceanography in 1980.
Charles Wharton ’67, serves as 1st vice president of investments and financial advisor with Merrill Lynch. He previously served as senior vice president of investments with UBS Financial Services, Inc. and as a senior vice president of investments with Prudential Securities. Wharton obtained Certified Investment Management Analyst designation in 1995 and has over forty years of extensive professional experience in the areas of investment management consulting, financial planning and portfolio management. Wharton founded the Providence Education Fund and was a founder of the Haitian Project in 1983, currently serving as an honorary trustee and consultant. He has been active with a number of community organizations including the YMCA and the Lippitt Hill Tutorial (now VIPS). Wharton is a graduate of URI’s College of Arts and Sciences.
According to Glen R. Kerkian, president of the URI Foundation, the executive board plays an integral role in managing the Foundation’s key functions which include oversight of the University’s charitable endowment investments. He noted, “We are thrilled to have individuals of this caliber join our team. They are leaders in their respective professional fields and their insights and expertise will positively contribute to outcomes we achieve on behalf of the University.”
George Graboys, chair of the URI Foundation board added, “As we chart the course ahead of us, under the administration of a new university president with specific development priorities and goals, the unique skill sets and perspectives of our four newest members will be highly valued.”
The URI Foundation administers all development and charitable fundraising activities on behalf of the University in addition to managing its endowment portfolio. Currently overseeing URI’s $100 million Making a Difference capital campaign, the Foundation reported last October that the campaign’s original $100 million goal had been achieved a full fifteen months early. Scheduled to end December 31, 2010, the campaign has, as of July 1, 2010, raised nearly $113 million in gifts and pledges to support University students, faculty, programs and facilities.
For more information about the Foundation, including the Making A Difference campaign and a full listing of its board members, please visit www.urifoundation.org.