President Hughes elected to head Providence Chamber’s Board as new Chair
President Hughes elected to head Providence Chamber’s Board as new Chair
November 15, 2021
The Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce (the “Chamber”) announced today that its
Board of Directors have elected Dr. Meghan Hughes, Ph.D., president of the Community
College of Rhode Island (CCRI), as the organization’s next Board chair.
Hughes will succeed Alden Anderson, Jr., Senior Vice President at CBRE, Inc., when
his term expires on January 1, 2022. Hughes has been a member of the Chamber Board
since October 1, 2017.
“I am honored to be selected to lead the Board of Directors for the Greater Providence
Chamber of Commerce at such a pivotal time in our state’s history, and I look forward
to advancing the Chamber’s mission of championing economic prosperity and quality
of life for Rhode Islanders,” said Meghan Hughes, president of the Community College
of Rhode Island. “I know firsthand the critical role the Chamber plays in creating
a robust economy for the state of Rhode Island. CCRI has long been part of this effort,
ensuring employers have access to a well-educated and skilled workforce. As chair,
I am committed to supporting even stronger partnerships between business, higher education,
and workforce training to ensure more equitable outcomes and advancement opportunities
for all residents, and I am grateful for the opportunity to serve.”
“We are grateful for Alden’s leadership and commitment to advancing the Chamber’s
economic development, advocacy and business growth initiatives in his tenure as chair.
His steady and encouraging hand during the pandemic has also been invaluable in helping
us to serve our members and community during these extraordinary times,” said Chamber
President Laurie White. “We look forward to Alden continuing to share his expertise
and energy as a Board member.”
“As chair, Dr. Hughes will bring a high level of experience and dynamism in a wide
range of areas which will be vital to the Chamber’s role in Rhode Island’s pandemic
recovery, workforce development, helping small businesses thrive, strengthening the
business climate and supporting our community,” said White.
“No doubt, the ongoing labor shortage is a top concern for businesses, consumers and
policy makers. The Chamber is laser focused on workforce development which will be
a central theme to our work in the coming year. Dr. Hughes’ leadership is an ideal
complement to these efforts.” said White. “The Community College of Rhode Island is
an engine of workforce development with success in collaborating with the business
community to respond to the needs of today’s employers and students seeking a brighter
future for themselves and their families.”
With 30 years of experience in higher education and the nonprofit sector, Dr. Meghan
Hughes became the fifth president of the Community College of Rhode Island on Feb.
1, 2016. CCRI is the largest community college in New England with four main campuses.
The college serves more than 45,000 Rhode Islanders annually and boasts more than
80,000 alumni.
As president, Hughes leads ongoing transformation at the community college, with a
focus on student success. She is committed to providing Rhode Islanders with an outstanding
college education that leads to strong learning outcomes, successful degree attainment
and robust labor market outcomes.
Hughes has placed closing equity performance gaps at the center of her work. Under
her leadership, the college achieved the highest graduation rates in more than 20
years, outpacing national two-and three-year graduation rates, and was named the 2019
two-year college of the year by Education Dive magazine.
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