Westerly, Rhode Island... Joseph J. MarcAurele, Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of The Washington Trust Company, was named President of the Board of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank on Tuesday, Oct. 25.
“Joe has a tremendous history of public service to the Rhode Island community,” said Andrew Schiff, CEO of the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. “His combination of vision and leadership will help to fuel our active, engaged board of directors.”
MarcAurele joined Washington Trust in September 2009 as President and Chief Operating Officer. He was appointed Chairman, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Bank in April 2010. MarcAurele has a distinguished banking career, including 16 years with Citizens Bank, where he served in various executive positions including Chairman, President and CEO of Citizens Bank of Rhode Island and Connecticut. His early banking career included seven years at Fleet Financial Group. A lifelong Rhode Island resident, MarcAurele also taught high school English, coached football and served as assistant principal at St. Raphael Academy in Pawtucket.
This new role epitomizes MarcAurele’s long-time commitment to the Rhode Island Community Food Bank. In recent years, MarcAurele has led Washington Trust’s PB Xpress, a drive which has collected more than 90 tons of peanut butter for local RI families in need. In 2009, he received the "Hometown Hero Award" from the Pawtucket Red Sox and Cox Communications for his leadership in the “Striking Out Hunger” initiative to benefit the Rhode Island Community Food Bank.
MarcAurele is an active public servant and serves as a member of the President's Council of Providence College, the Rhode Island Commodores Executive Committee, and on the board of trustees of Rhode Island Hospital and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce. He also serves on the boards of Delta Dental of RI, the Urban Collaborative Accelerated Program, and the RI Public Expenditure Council. He is also a member of the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston Community Depository Institution Advisory Council.
Cheryl Senerchia was elected to serve as Vice President of the Board of the RI Community Food Bank.
Three new board members were elected: Susan Gustaitis, Executive Director of the Jonnycake Center of Peacedale; Manny Murray, President and CEO of West Warwick Senior Center; and Robert Weygand, Vice President for Administration and Finance, University of Rhode Island.
Outgoing board members recognized at the Annual Meeting included Board Vice President Raymond Welsh and Board Member Arnold M. Friedman. Welsh, who joined the board in 2003, is District Manager for Stop & Shop Companies, Inc. Friedman, a board member since 2008, is Counsel for Edwards Wildman Palmer LLP.
The Rhode Island Community Food Bank is a non-profit organization located in Providence, RI. The Food Bank solicits, stores and distributes food products donated by supermarkets, wholesalers, food processors, local farmers and community food drives. The food is then distributed to the Food Bank’s statewide network of more than 250 member agency programs. In the past fiscal year, the Food Bank distributed 9.4 million pounds of food. For more information about the Food Bank, please visit www.rifoodbank.org.