PROFESSIONAL STAFF BIOGRAPHIES

Anthony DiPietro

Anthony is responsible for coordinating and writing most of the content for LRI’s eNews, website, brochures and press releases.  In his spare time, he also writes poetry and stories, and has interest in film, theatre, music and (he admits) certain TV shows.

Anthony describes himself as goal-oriented, and took time off while earning his degree in English to gain work experience with both non-profit organizations and private companies.

Born, raised and educated in Providence, Anthony once moved to San Diego for two years but came back because he missed home and the sound of rain.   He loves to travel and has visited 47 states and more than half of the national parks in the US.  His current travel plans include visiting one pub and independent restaurant in all 39 cities and towns in Rhode Island.

Diane Dolphin

When it comes to planning and facilitating LRI programs, Diane is not only a well-organized logistics expert, she also ensures high quality, so that LRI continually raises critical issues and motivates leaders.

Previously, Diane consulted for nonprofit and government agencies, helping them to articulate their vision, mission, image, and messages. She was also the first Executive Director of RI Organ Donor Awareness Coalition. In volunteer roles, she has served several organizations as a motivator, facilitator and consensus builder.

Diane values inclusion, diversity, and dialogue, and believes that mutual respect among different people is the cornerstone of all community work.

Diane is a Brown University graduate who gardens, sings, writes and buys and sells antiques in her spare time. She lives in an 1813 house in Smithfield with her Golden and Weimeraner. She acknowledges that she talks to them in funny voices, because they get a kick out of it.

Nicole Gunderson

As Administrative Assistant, Nicole is the oil that keeps the LRI machine running smoothly. She supports the day-to-day operations of our office, as well as aiding in the preparation and delivery of LRI’s programs.

Nicole brings a helpful attitude to her work as well as a great sense of humor to our office – she recently created cartoon-syle portraits of the LRI staff (sadly, not available on this site).

A Plainfield, CT native, Nicole graduated from College Leadership Rhode Island in April, and from URI in May. She now lives in Warwick with her fiancée Joe and their kitten Allison.

While at URI, Nicole developed a task force to address hunger in South County; wrote and implemented a nonviolence training program; and interned at The International Institute of RI. Nicole was also Secretary of the URI Democrats and volunteered for South County Habitat for Humanity and the South Kingstown Pound.

Melissa Masquelette

As LRI’s accountant, Melissa is our point person for accounts payable and receivable, keeper of budgets, reports, and records, coordinator of our annual audit, and really, the end user of everything LRI does.  We are in capable hands, as Melissa is a Certified Public Accountant in two states.  She formerly worked at Arthur Andersen, but assures us she didn’t shred any documents.

Born and raised in Mississippi, Melissa also lived in Texas before moving north, but she is determined not to lose her Southern accent.  She has been married to Phil for 27 years and their daughter Grace attends the University of Elon.

When not spending time with her family, Melissa enjoys gardening, and she walks about three miles a day.  She is also an active volunteer for the altar guild at St. John’s Church and the parents council at Elon.

Kathleen Swann

The only person in the world to hold a bachelors, masters, and doctorate degree from Rhode Island College, Kathy Swann has dedicated her career to education.  She began her career as a teacher and administrator in Coventry Public Schools and was Coventry’s Teacher of the Year in 1995.

In 1999, Kathy graduated from LRI and became Executive Director of RI Teaching and Learning Center, a nonprofit organization dedicated to teachers’ ongoing professional development and leadership.  She completed her Ph.D. in 2001 and moved to the Washington, DC area where she earned a certificate in Nonprofit Management from Georgetown and worked as Director of Professional Development at the National Board for Professional Standards.

Kathy returned to her home state for good in 2003, and now lives in West Greenwich with her family.  When she had time for personal hobbies, Kathy enjoyed historic architecture, agriculture and travel, and loved music.