Truly, uniting tomake a difference

Yahaira (Jay) Placencia is a Senior Vice President and Private Client Advisor with Bank of America Private Bank in Providence, Rhode Island. For over two decades, she has been passionate about addressing the needs of business owners, entrepreneurs and non-profit organizations.

Since joining Bank of America’s business banking division in 2000, Jay has held various roles, including senior client manager. Her responsibilities included oversight of key commercial client relationships and development of strategies to support for-profit and not-for-profit organizations. She joined Bank of America Private Bank (formerly U.S. Trust) in 2014. Jay began her career in banking in 1993 working for a local non-traditional lender. She earned her B.B.A. from the University of Rhode Island, while working full-time.

Paola is a multi-talented professional with over 20 years of experience in the nonprofit, government relations, and financial sector. She is recognized as a strong leader that is culturally sensitive and drives results in a collaborative and inclusive manner. Prior to working at Centreville Bank, Paola worked at Pawtucket Credit Union as AVP, Community Development, and United Way of Rhode Island as Director for Public Policy and Government Relations for sixteen years.

In her current role at Centreville Bank as their SVP, Community Development Officer, Paola helps develop, launch, and manage the bank’s community brand identity and regional expansion across Rhode Island and Connecticut. Similarly, she drives strategic philanthropic initiatives, oversees the Charitable Foundation’s long-term priorities, and leads Corporate Social Responsibility efforts.

Barbara holds more than 35 years of experience leading administrative operations in education. In her position as the senior executive overseeing most non-academic functions, she led major improvements across financial planning, human resources, internal audit, facilities, transportation, dining, auxiliary services, information technology, and business operations. Barabara is a proud member of Brown’s Class of 1979 where her leadership was instrumental in aligning Brown’s administrative and business infrastructure with its historic commitment to academic excellence. Barbara is now retired from Brown University after more than five years of service at the university.

Jayne Donegan is Senior Executive Counsel at Textron where she is lead attorney for SEC reporting and compliance, as well as corporate transactions and corporate governance matters. Prior to Textron, Jayne worked at Brown Rudnick for fourteen years where she counselled public and private corporations in a variety of major transactional matters. Jayne holds a Doctor of Law (JD) degree from the University of California at Berkely.

Gregg Perry is a seasoned communicator who brings creative thinking, legal sensitivity and a unique perspective to clients who are facing reputation challenges. With more than 30-years’ experience Perry serves as a trusted advisor to Fortune 1000 companies; law firms; school districts; universities, leading non-profits and small businesses. Perry helps companies build, enhance and protect their reputation and brand. He offers extensive experience in media relations, strategic planning, message development, and crisis litigation and marketing communications. His background is firmly rooted in lessons learned during a career that began in journalism, was followed by years with a state attorney general and US Congressman, and continued with some of the leading communications firms in New England and Washington, D.C.

Currently, Perry serves as a Vice-Chair of the Board of Directors of the United Way of Rhode Island, and on the Board of Directors of Rhode Island Kids Count. Previously he served for six years on the Executive Board of the Alumni Association of the University of Rhode Island, where he received a B.A. in Journalism and Political Science.

Carolyn Belisle is Vice President and Chief of Corporate Social Responsibility at Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Rhode Island (BCBSRI), where she leads the company’s social mission strategy across corporate philanthropy, employee volunteerism, belonging and inclusion, and health equity. Under her decades of leadership at BCBSRI, she has built and sustained many of the organization’s signature initiatives—including the BlueAngel Community Health Grant program, BCBSRI’s Safe Zone Program, the RI Life Index, employee business resource groups, and Project SEARCH—helping to shape a long-term, integrated approach to improving community well‑being. Her leadership has strengthened BCBSRI’s reputation as a trusted and highly engaged corporate citizen. In 2025, the company was named to the Points of Light Civic 50, recognizing it as one of the nation’s most community‑minded companies. Under Carolyn’s leadership, the company has earned repeated national recognition, including nine consecutive perfect scores on the Corporate Equality Index and multiple perfect scores on the Disability Equality Index. Her work centers on leveraging corporate assets and strategic partnerships to remove systemic barriers to health and expand opportunity for all Rhode Islanders.

Paige Parks is Executive Director of a youth-serving nonprofit. From 2019-2022, Paige served as a senior Policy Analyst responsible for policy analysis, advocacy, and project management in areas related to education and economic well-being. Prior to joining a youth-serving nonprofit, Paige served as Director of Advancement and Assistant Director for Books Are Wings, and Network Director for the Youth 4 Change Alliance/ Youth In Action.

Paige serves on many boards, coalitions, and advisory groups including serving on the Board of Directors for the Partnership for America’s Children and the United Way of Rhode Island. Paige co-chairs the Rhode Island Department of Human Services Rhode Island Works Advisory Committee, co-leader of the Raising RI Coalition, and serves on the Advisory Board for the Rhode Island Afterschool Network.

Ramona Royal is an assistant vice president in the Office of Diversity, Equity & Inclusion (ODEI) at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston and is responsible for assisting in setting the strategic direction for diversity, equity and inclusion initiatives and programming. In this role, she will serve as the lead liaison to the Bank’s employee resource groups, provide guidance to the Diversity and Inclusion Working Group (DIWG), and develop training for the Bank. She will also work closely with Human Resources to support diverse talent management initiatives.

Prior to joining the Bank, Ramona worked at Amica Mutual Insurance Company where she served as the Talent Management and Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion Officer responsible for developing talent management and diversity and inclusion strategies across the organization. Throughout her career, Ramona has been recognized for making meaningful advancements and identifying formal and informal barriers to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Ramona is a founding member of Diversity & Inclusion Professionals in Rhode Island, was honored by RICJ at the Justice Awards Gala at the Rhode Island State House in 2019, and in March, she received the Individual Property and Casualty Diversity and Inclusion award from the American Property Casualty Insurance Association.

Ramona holds a bachelor’s degree from Georgetown University and a master’s degree in liberal arts from Harvard University. She also holds certificates from Harvard University in strategic management and organizational behavior.

Cortney Nicolato has led United Way of Rhode Island as President and CEO since September 2018, following a national search. She directs the organization’s statewide work across economic security, children and learning, nonprofit strength, and advocacy and community voice.

She came to the role after more than a decade of executive leadership across the nonprofit and business sectors. She served as President and CEO of The Senior Source in Dallas, the largest social services nonprofit serving older adults in North Texas, and previously held senior roles at the American Heart Association and at Get Real Health, where she led marketing and strategy.

A native of Pawtucket, Cortney earned a bachelor’s degree in finance from the University of Rhode Island and a master’s degree in nonprofit administration from Northeastern University. She was appointed to the University of Rhode Island Board of Trustees in 2020.