I-195
REDEVELOPMENT
DISTRICT
COMMISSION
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
Position Profile
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 1
THE COMMISSION
The Rhode Island I-195 Redevelopment District Commission was created for the
purpose of acquisition, management and administration of the 40-acres (22
developable acres) created by the relocation of Interstate 195 located in the
middle of Providence’s historic downtown, East Side and Jewelry Districts.
Unlike many publicly created redevelopment authorities, the Commission is the
fee owner, as well as the penultimate permitting authority, for the property tasked
with realizing highest and best use and spurring economic development.
The Commission itself is subject to public meeting requirements, and consists of
7 appointees approved by the RI Senate. Specific roles of the Commission
include:

Maintain and operate:
o the land for resale
o surrounding public spaces such as sidewalks
o Public parks

Undertake due diligence and permitting by utilizing hired professional
services consultants (nearly complete)

Establish a regulatory framework for marketing and sale of the land:
o Covenants
o Planning
o Zoning
o Historic
o Disposition decision-making process

Receive and expend public and private funds
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 2
THE OPPORTUNITY
The land opened up by the I-195 relocation includes waterfront parcels located
on the Providence River with views of Narragansett Bay, large commercial sites
adjacent to Interstate 95 North/South, and smaller, neighborhood-scaled parcels
located on the tony East Side. The parcels are currently anchored by a thriving
downtown, as well as Brown University’s Medical School, Johnson and Wales
University Downtown Campus. The Jewelry District is also home to an active
artist and design community, as well as research buildings utilized by the state’s
leading hospitals. The 22-acres are zoned to support approximately 2.5 million
square feet of new construction, and flexible enough to allow for all types of uses,
including office, hotel, restaurant, research, institutional, and residential.
Current View
Possible Future View
Parcel Breakdown
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 3
COMMISSION MEMBERS
Colin P. Kane
Chairman
Colin Kane is Principal of Peregrine Group LLC. Kane is Peregrine’s lead partner
for project transactional activities, including structured workouts, payment
settlements, deal origination, project planning, asset acquisition and sales,
leasing, financial analysis, workout analysis, and debt/equity capitalization. Prior
to helping found Peregrine in 2001, Kane worked as a Development Manager for
Gilbane Properties and as a naval officer serving as a Flag Lieutenant and
division officer stationed aboard the guided missile destroyer USS KIDD. Kane
has broad experience in real estate development, including successful projects in
Rhode Island, North Carolina, California, Maine, Nevada, Vermont, Virginia,
Maryland, and Florida over the past 12 years. Projects include mixed-use
campuses, historic rehabilitations, multi-family housing, hospitality venues,
planned residential communities, large-scale corporate and institutional build-tosuits (including medical facilities), and brownfield redevelopment. Kane is a
combat veteran of Operation Desert Storm, a graduate of Harvard Business
School (MBA), Georgetown University (MA), and the US Naval Academy (BS,
with distinction), and serves on the Executive Committee of the RI Builder's
Association. He was named Admiral of the Rhode Island Commodores by
Governor Chafee in January, and is a resident of Wickford. [Nominated by
Governor Chafee]
Barrett Bready, M.D.
Barrett Bready, M.D., is President and CEO of NABsys, Inc., a start-up and an
advanced DNA sequencing technology company located in the heart of the
Knowledge District. Bready has headed NABsys since 2005, and has led the
company’s acquisition of GeneSpectrum as well as the execution of its licensing
deal with Brown University. Bready has been named one of the top "30 under 30"
in New England by Mass High Tech: The Journal of New England Technology
and one of 25 “movers and shakers” in Rhode Island by Rhode Island Monthly.
Bready teaches “Biotechnology Management” at Brown, where he holds the
position of Adjunct Assistant Professor of Biotechnology. He received his M.D.
from Brown Medical School and his Sc.B. in Physics from Brown, both as part of
the University’s eight-year Program in Liberal Medical Education. He co-chairs
BioGroup, Rhode Island’s biotechnology industry organization, serves on the
Board of Directors of the Brown Medical Alumni Association, and is a Trustee of
the Providence Preservation Society and WaterFire. [Nominated by Governor
Chafee]
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 4
Barbara A. Hunger
Barbara Hunger has been a registered nurse in the Labor and Delivery Unit at
Women and Infants Hospital for 25 years. Prior to joining Women and Infants,
Hunger worked as a nurse in hospitals throughout New England. She earned a
BS from Southern Connecticut State University. Her civic involvement includes
volunteerism with CityArts, Elmwood Neighborhood Housing, Community Music
Works, and the Steel Yard. Hunger has been a resident of and homeowner in
Providence’s Elmwood neighborhood for 25 years and raised two children who
attended Providence Public Schools. [Recommended by Mayor Taveras]
Diana L. Johnson
Diana Johnson is a self-employed art consultant. She served as Director of
Brown University’s David Winton Bell Gallery and as Curator of Prints, Drawings
and Photographs, Chief Curator, and Acting Director of the RISD Museum of Art.
Additionally, Johnson’s diverse career has included stints as: Senior Vice
President and City Executive with the Private Clients Group at Fleet National
Bank-Bank of America; Senior Vice President and Portfolio Manager with the
Providence Group Investment Advisory Company; and Vice President with the
Trust and Investment Division of Fleet National Bank. Johnson has served on the
Boards of the Rhode Island Committee for the Humanities, Veterans Memorial
Auditorium, and Trinity Repertory Company, and as Board Chairman of the
Rhode Island State Council on the Arts, Travelers Aid Society of Rhode Island,
and Planned Parenthood of Rhode Island. She received a BA in government
from Radcliffe College (Harvard University) and an MA in art history from Brown
University. She is a resident of Providence. [Nominated by Governor Chafee]
John M. Kelly
John Kelly has been the President and CEO of Meeting Street School for the last
14 years. Meeting Street serves over 3,000 Rhode Island children and families
each year. During his tenure, Kelly has overseen the development of Meeting
Street’s $25 million South Providence campus which resulted in over 180 jobs
moving to South Providence (with an additional 40 jobs added since its
relocation). An attorney by training, Kelly previously focused his law practice in
corporate and real estate law as a partner at Tillinghast, Collins & Graham. Kelly
subsequently held a leadership position in a non-profit organization, the Coalition
for Community Development, which was created to revitalize downtown
Providence. Kelly has served as Chair of the Board of Directors of the Genesis
Center and the Providence Revolving Fund and has chaired four city boards and
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 5
commissions: the Port Commission, the Zoning Board of Review, Ad hoc
Permitting Review and the Salary Review Commission. As Chairman of the Ad
hoc Permitting Review group, he was tasked with streamlining Providence’s
permitting process. To date, the city has implemented electronic plan review,
concurrent plan review and launched of an expedited review process. He is a
graduate of Franklin and Marshall College and earned a law degree from Boston
College. Kelly is a resident of the city’s South Side. [Recommended by Mayor
Taveras and Speaker Fox]
Mark T. Ryan
Mark Ryan is a principal at Moses and Afonso, Ltd. where he concentrates his
practice in the areas of corporate and business law. He is a graduate of the
University of Rhode Island and New England School of Law. Ryan has extensive
business and business law experience. Prior to joining Moses and Alfonso, he
was with the Providence Journal Company for nearly 25 years, where he served
as Executive Vice President and General Manager, Senior Vice President –
Legal and Administration, and Vice President – Legal and Administration. From
1992 to 1996, Ryan served as the Providence Journal Company’s Assistant
General Counsel and Senior Corporate Attorney, representing the newspaper as
well as the company’s cable television division and the Food Network. Ryan was
also responsible for litigation management, environmental issues and labor and
employment matters country wide, and oversaw digital operations. He has broad
legal experience, including labor negotiations. Ryan is active in the community,
serving as a Director and Member of the Nominating and Legislative Committees
of the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce; First Vice Chairman and
Trustee of the Providence Performing Arts Center; a Member of the Rhode Island
Commodores; and a Member of the Rhode Island Bar Association.
[Recommended by Mayor Taveras]
Michael S. Van Leesten
Michael Van Leesten is CEO of OIC of Rhode Island, a nonprofit community
development organization that provides training, employment, and minority
business development services. He also heads Van Leesten Group, LLC, a
community development consulting firm. Van Leesten has over 40 years of
community and business development experience, including: executive director
of the Providence Planning and Development Department; director of Fleet
National Bank; chairman of the Rhode Island Home Mortgage & Finance
Corporation; executive director of the OIC of Rhode Island; public affairs
management with the Mashantucket Pequot Tribal Nation; and, currently,
chairman of the Providence Black Repertory Company. He has directly managed
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 6
and developed various types of commercial and residential real estate projects in
Rhode Island and Connecticut. Van Leesten is a member of the Rhode Island
Heritage Hall of Fame and has received honorary doctorate degrees from the
University of Rhode Island, Roger Williams University and Rhode Island College,
from which he earned his undergraduate degree in Education. He has also
completed the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Management program and
did course work in Community Planning at the University of Rhode Island.
[Nominated by Governor Chafee]
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 7
POSITION
The Executive Director of the Commission will be responsible for working with
Commission members to develop a strategic plan for and oversee all day to day
operations involved in the sale of the I-195 surplus land.
This will first involve crafting a vision for the right mix of industries and companies
that will provide a sustainable economic boost for the State by providing highwage, knowledge based jobs, with the residential supply and amenities to
support this growth. The Executive Director will then need to build consensus
around this vision with a number of state and local players – e.g. government,
academic institutions, and community organizations.
In executing on this strategy, the Executive Director will need to do more than
simply divesting the parcels on current market terms, but rather the successful
person in this post will have to actively work to build and take advantage of
synergies between buyers and to secure various tax, permitting, and economic
advantages to add value to this development land.
As the Commission has been given ultimate zoning and development authority
over the parcels, the Executive Director will continue to have involvement and
monitoring responsibilities with the properties even after private development has
commenced.
PROFESSIONAL QUALIFICATIONS

Possess significant experience influencing state and / or local policy
direction, ideally in regard to high growth industries. This would include
significant interaction with legislative and executive branches of state-level
government and interaction with the general business community. This
experience could come from within the Federal or State Government, a
Community or Trade Association, University, or a related company.

Experience leading the development and
organization’s vision and strategic direction.

While previous experience working with high growth, knowledge based
industries is not required, it would be extremely beneficial.

Prior experience in Economic Development, especially from the ground
up, is a major plus.

Prior experience in real estate development and planning could be helpful.

Familiarity with issues such as business development, regulatory
compliance, taxes, international business relations.
implementation
of
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.
an
Levin and Company, Inc.
I-195 Redevelopment District Commission
Executive Director
Position Profile
Page 8

Experience operating in a high visibility atmosphere and dealing with the
news media will be critical.

Possess experience managing and/or consulting with high-powered
Business Boards preparing him/her to harness the Commission as a major
strategic asset.
PERSONAL QUALIFICATIONS

A hands-on, independent operator capable of accomplishing the task at
hand with little formal support

Strong visionary skills and the ability to think outside the box.

Someone who is thinking about the next big “idea” to support Economic
Development yet also possessing the Operational skills to implement a
vision.

Strong communication and articulation skills with all audiences are
required.

A Statesperson’s “gravitas” would provide strong positioning and create a
perceived presence.

Sufficient credibility to become the “Voice of Economic Development in
Rhode Island.”

Have a flexible management style that successfully interfaces with a wide
variety of personality styles.

Possess a service–oriented style. An executive that can play a supportive
role on the stage, not requiring a front-and-center role to impact change
and policy. A facilitator of Community discussion.

Possess Political and/or Business Development skills that allow win-win
outcomes in Business, Academic and Governmental communications, i.e.,
a Rainmaker.
This report is a private document and contains information that is privileged or confidential. It
is to be used only in conjunction with the recruiting activities being conducted by Levin and
Company for the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission.