My career has been varied: children’s librarian, legal administrator and paralegal. I attended college in the Midwest and received my MA at Columbia University. Community service is part of my family’s DNA so volunteerism has always been important. In addition to being on The Village Common Board (Secretary) and Fundraising Committee co-chair, I have served as former President of the Prudential Committee at The First Unitarian Church of Providence. I have been a public school mentor and library associate. I was elected a 2012 CD1 Delegate to the Democratic Convention.

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I currently live in Oak Hill with my husband Cy O’Neil; we have a daughter, Shannon, who lives in Philadelphia, and a son, Lincoln, who lives in Oakland, California. Much of my career has been as a professor at Providence College, teaching dance and women’s & gender studies. In addition to teaching, I direct and choreograph for our student dance company, and do research on dance and dance education, which has resulted in several publications including books and articles. My leadership experience includes serving for 18 years as the Chair of the Dept. of Theatre, Dance, and Film, and as Editor-in-Chief of the Journal of Dance Education for seven years until the end of 2020.

Ever since our village began, I have served as the editor of its newsletter, which later became the Village Common Newsletter. I enjoy creating something each month that is useful and interesting for our members and volunteers, and am happy to have so many folks contributing to this collaborative effort. I am also co-chairing the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Committee of the Village Common with Marcus Mitchell. I look forward to joining the Board and furthering the work of the Village Common.

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My work life includes jobs in the public, not-for-profit and private sectors – starting with three years at the Urban Redevelopment Authority in Pittsburgh after college. Later my husband and I moved to Rochester, MN, where I started and ran two innovative childcare programs. Those experiences led me to the Yale School of Management to learn more about managing organizations. I joined Xerox Corporation as part of a new business start-up and later worked for the Xerox Foundation, with responsibility for funding Community and Women’s Programs. In 1986 I joined Schaffer Consulting in Stamford, CT and spent nearly 30 years working with large and small organizations to plan and implement complex changes. Being a Village member, volunteer and member of the Board during the creation of the Village Common has been an exciting way to start my retirement.

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Family:

My wife, Janet, and I have three children including twins. We lived in Montreal after marriage, until 1984. We have lived in Barrington since coming to the United States in 1984. Our children continue to live in nearby states.

Education:

I graduated from McGill University in the Chartered Accountant (CA) program after completing my undergraduate degree. I completed the requirements for the Chartered Accountants certification at Coopers & Lybrand in Montreal.

Work:

Since obtaining my CA degree, I have worked with many private individuals and/or entities in different industries in Canada, the United States, and Europe on projects involving the management and/or restructuring of their affairs. My work brought me to the United States in 1984, where I continued to the same type of work.

Special Skills:

I like to work with individuals to acquire information, structure and record that information, so that clients may manage their affairs on a timely basis. At this point in my life, I focus primarily on tax and accounting issues.

Other Interests:

I enjoy music from the early fifties through the seventies. I also enjoy photography.

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In 2017, Patrick Mattingly and I served on a conference panel, for THE THIRD AGE: The Role of Faith-based Communities in Elder Care. Patrick talked about the Providence Village and I shared findings from the Report of the Aging in Community Subcommittee of the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council which I Chair. Subsequently, I met with Patrick and Suzanne Francis to hear about the exciting plans to create The Village Common and was thrilled when the state grant to help implement it was awarded. I am impressed with the success of the Providence Village and fully support efforts to bring the "village" model to other communities through The Village Common. As the state population grows older, this mission to help older adults to live safe and healthy at home is more important than ever. I look forward to working with Board members and JoEllen Mistarz your able Executive Director to promote, enhance and sustain this work.
My professional work began in the healthcare sector working for 20 years as a Registered Nurse. The Women’s Movement of the 1970’s inspired me to run for office which began my second career working in public policy. Elected for five-terms to the Rhode Island House of Representatives from Warwick, I was the first woman appointed to the position of Deputy Speaker and successfully sponsored numerous legislative measures to improve health and human services, to foster women’s equality and to make government more transparent. I worked for a number of state officials in the administrative and policy areas and was Director of the Department of Elderly Affairs. Since retiring from state service in 2006, I work as a consultant on aging and long-term care policy and have authored several reports on the state’s older population. Currently, I Co-Chair the Long-Term Care Coordinating Council. My volunteer work includes co-leading the Office of Healthy Aging’s digiAGE Collaborative and providing policy consultation to the Senior Agenda Coalition. In addition to my RN diploma, my education background includes a BS degree from RI College and an MPA degree from URI.

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