Elizabeth Francis
President
Executive Director, Rhode Island Humanities Council
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With a deep interest in the connection between public participation in cultural activities and the overall civic health of communities, Elizabeth co-authored Culture is Key: Strengthening Rhode Island’s Civic Health Through Cultural Participation (2022), an initiative that led to the development of the state’s first-ever Civic Health Index by Rhode Island Humanities. She holds a PhD in American studies from Brown University and a BA from Hampshire College. She is the author of The Secret Treachery of Words: Feminism and Modernism in America (University of Minnesota Press, 2002) and many pieces on American women modernists. A Providence resident, she serves on the College of Arts and Sciences Advisory Council at Johnson and Wales University, on the boards of Ocean State Media and the Grantmakers Council of Rhode Island, and as secretary of the state commission for the commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence.
 

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Beatrice Pulliam
Vice President                                                                           
Deputy Director, Providence Public Library

Beatrice has more than 20 years’ experience working with libraries across Rhode Island and leading them through change. She is the immediate past president of the Rhode Island Library Association and a 2018 Rhode Island Foundation Emerging Leader. Beatrice holds a BA from the University of Michigan and an MS in Library & Information Science from Simmons University in Boston. She has served on a number of boards including the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society and the Roger Williams Park Conservancy. She was a charter patron of What Cheer Writer’s Club, the organization that became LitArts RI. A Cranston resident, Beatrice is a certified Master Gardener, tap dancer, and editor of Wildflora, the bi-annual magazine of the Rhode Island Wild Plant Society. 

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Maria Grande
Treasurer
Director of Development, Sociedad Latina, Inc. 
 

For more than ten years Maria has helped New England nonprofits build their organizational capacity, grow revenue, and engage donors and constituents through effective storytelling. She is passionate about causes related to mental health and wellness including the connection between nature, mindfulness, and disabilities. She explores these themes through personal essays and long-form fiction and facilitates a LitArts RI writing group for people living with disabilities. Maria has been a writer-in-residence at Linden Place in Bristol, RI. She holds a BA in English Literature and Creative Writing from Providence College. In her free time, the Providence resident can be found reading romance novels, exploring coastal towns, and talking incessantly about Jane Austen. 

 

 

Michelle Maynard
Secretary
Semi-retired Nonprofit Administrator
 

Michelle has enjoyed a career in nonprofit leadership and public service. Most recently she served as executive director of Gallery Night Providence, where she built organizational capacity and cultivated and strengthened partnerships throughout the state. Born and raised in Rhode Island, Michelle spent much of her career in the Washington, DC, area working in government and the nonprofit sector, including working for the late Senator Claiborne Pell (D-RI). She holds a BS from the College of the Holy Cross and an MSFS degree from Georgetown University. She works as a part-time fitness instructor and enjoys discovering and participating in Rhode Island’s vibrant fiber arts community. Michelle lives in the Edgewood neighborhood of Cranston with her dog, Toby.

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Dave DeBrot
Financial Advisor, Loring Advisory Group
 

Dave is passionate about helping people make productive and meaningful financial decisions, seeing his role as part educator and coach as well as financial advisor. He began his career as a university administrator in Thailand, St. Louis, and Vietnam. He holds an Executive MBA from the Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology, a certificate in management and leadership from Harvard University’s School of Education, and a certificant from Yale University School of Management’s Investment Management Theory and Practice program. Dave lives in Smithfield with his wife, Lam, and their two children, Jacob and James. He enjoys learning about history and theology, watching British television, writing poetry, traveling, and relaxing by the sea.

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Michael Kelly
Publisher, Boom! Studios

Michael began his career unpacking boxes in the receiving room of his local Barnes & Noble; he’s been hooked on the book business ever since. With a BA in English from Boston College and an MBA from Northeastern University, he brings both creativity and business acumen to the industry. Over 18 years at Hasbro, Michael rose to the position of vice president of global publishing and transformed a small, regional business into a global content-generating powerhouse. In 2024 he was named publisher of BOOM! Studios, a Penguin Random House imprint, where he oversees all publishing operations for comic books and graphic novels. He lives with his family in southeastern Massachusetts and enjoys travel, obstacle course racing, and volunteering at the New Bedford Whaling Museum.

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Melissa Michal Slocum
Adjunct Professor, English & Cultural Studies, Salve Regina College
DEI Coach and Consultant 
 

As an educator, coach, and consultant, Melissa has collaborated with universities, museums, media companies, shelters, and arts organizations to develop strategic plans that infuse inclusive practices across all policies and procedures. Her writing has appeared in The Florida Review, Arkana, Yellow Medicine Review, Transmotion, Presumed Incompetent (2nd edition), and other publications. Her short story collection, Living Along the Borderlines (Feminist Press, 2019) was a finalist for the Louise Meriwether first book prize. She holds degrees from St. John Fisher College, Chatham University, Pennsylvania State University, and Arizona State University. Melissa is of Seneca descent from what is Seneca and Haudenosaunee territory. She currently resides on Narragansett land in Cranston and is a new foster mom. 

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Lisa Watts
Nonprofit Communications Consultant 
 

Lisa edited city and college magazines before moving into strategic communications for nonprofits, most recently with the Rhode Island Food Policy Council and Grow Smart RI. She holds a BA in English and journalism from UMass-Amherst and was a member of Leadership Rhode Island’s 2025 Senior Fellows cohort. Her anthology, Good Roots: Writers Reflect on Growing Up in Ohio (Ohio University Press, 2006), won Ohioana Library’s 2008 Ohio Legacy Citation. Her two recent memoirs chronicle life journeys: Crossing Bridges, about biking up the East Coast at 58, and Curb Appeal, about 15 household moves. She is settled now just off the East Bay Bike Path in Barrington with her husband, Bob Malekoff.

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Joe Wilson, Jr
Director, City of Providence Department of Art, Culture and Tourism 
 

Joe is an artist, administrator, and arts and cultural leader. In addition to his position with the City of Providence, he serves on the boards of the Providence Tourism Council, the Providence/Warwick Convention and Visitors Bureau, WaterFire Providence, and Youth Pride. Joe holds a BA in political science from the University of Notre Dame and an MFA in acting from the University of Minnesota/Guthrie Theatre training program. He was a member of the resident acting company and artistic staff at Trinity Repertory Company for 19 seasons, during which time he also created and led Trinity Rep’s Center for Activism and Performance; he remains a legacy member of the company. In 2024 he earned a Harvard Kennedy School Executive Education certificate, part of an international cohort supported by the Bloomberg Foundation.