KINGSTON, R.I. \u2013 March 9, 2020 \u2013 University of Rhode Island President David M. Dooley and Alfred J. Verrecchia \u201967, M.B.A. \u201972, Hon. \u201904, former chairman and chief executive officer of Hasbro, Inc., will be the keynote speakers for the North Kingstown Chamber of Commerce\u2019s Annual Meeting and Business Excellence Awards Dinner on April 1.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe North Kingstown Chamber asked President Dooley and Alfred J. Verrecchia to be the keynote speakers at our event based on their exemplary leadership in the collaboration of business and education,\u201d said Kristin Urbach, the Chamber\u2019s executive director. \u201cThe Chamber recognizes the value of business and educator collaboration and the importance of their exchange of ideas to build a talented workforce in Rhode Island.\u201d<\/p>\n
The Chamber\u2019s WindWinRI program, made possible through a Real Jobs RI grant, has helped establish and build a talent pipeline in the offshore wind energy industry that includes providing the first offshore wind energy high school certification in the U.S. It has also partnered with URI\u2019s Coastal Resources Center and KidWind to cohost the nation\u2019s first offshore wind energy teaching academy last summer an again this summer at URI\u2019s Narragansett Bay Campus.<\/p>\n
In his keynote address, Dooley will discuss the URI business program and Verrecchia\u2019s longtime support of the URI College of Business. In December, Verrecchia and his wife, Geraldine, made a $15 million gift to the College that will benefit such programs as a fund for students pursuing competitive internships, scholarships for high-achieving students, a professorship in artificial intelligence and business analytics, and an emerging technology fund. Dooley will also address the Coastal Resources Center\u2019s work with the Chamber on the offshore wind energy teaching academy.<\/p>\n
Verrecchia, who is chair of the URI Foundation & Alumni Engagement Board of Directors, will talk about the importance of internships and his 50-year career at Hasbro, which started with $1.25-an-hour internship in 1965 when he was a URI student.<\/p>\n