Board
Francis X. Tweedie
Chair
Frank Tweedie is Dean of the School of Technology at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. Frank Tweedie is a graduate of Johnson and Wales with an MS in Instructional Technology and Education. He joined the university as the director of technology practicum and an adjunct professor in the School of Technology in September 1993. In 1999, Tweedie was appointed chairperson of the Engineering Studies Department. As department chair, he also served as the interim director of the Worcester Campus and facilitated a successful consolidation of the Worcester Campus into the Providence Campus. In 2004, Tweedie assumed his current role as dean. Tweedie is certified in systematic curriculum and instructional development (SCID) from The Ohio State University. He has co-authored several papers and made presentations in the field of engineering education.
Paul McVety, Ed.D.
Vice Chair
Dr. Paul J. McVety is dean of culinary academics at the College of Culinary Arts at Johnson & Wales University in Providence, R.I. A graduate of the University, Dr. McVety has been a part of the staff since 1978; he originally joined the faculty as a Foodservice Academic instructor teaching classes in a variety of topics, from menu planning to cost control to communications skills to bakeshop operations. Currently, he oversees curriculum, textbook revisions and faculty development as well as articulation agreements. Dr. McVety holds a doctoral degree in Educational Leadership from Johnson & Wales University, a master's degree in Education-Administration of Secondary Schools from Providence College, a bachelor's in Foodservice Management from Johnson & Wales, and an associate's in Culinary Arts, also from J&W.
Felicia Dionne
Secretary
Felicia Dionne is a Registered Regional Support Representative at Fidelity Investments in Smithfield, RI, where she has been employed for seven years. Throughout her fifteen year career in Financial Services, Ms. Dionne has been recognized with numerous awards and commendations for outstanding dedication and service. Ms. Dionne also dedicates herself to a number of local and international charitable and volunteer organizations, and was recognized with a 2008 Sandra C. Labaree New England Volunteer Values Award from the American Cancer Society. Ms. Dionne was educated at the University of Massachusetts, Boston and resides with her husband and daughter in Smithfield, RI.
Eileen Tweedie
Treasurer
Eileen Tweedie is currently the Assistant Branch Vice President/ Branch Manager of the Navigant Credit Union on Dexter Street in Pawtucket, RI. A graduate of the Bryant University School of Business, Ms. Tweedie has a long and distinguished career in banking. After first joining BankRI in 1997, as the Assistant Vice President of Retail Lending, she was then named Private Bank Administrator with the prestigious Private Banking Group with the Providence based institution. Returning to community banking in 2009, Eileen has re-dedicated herself to serving the banking needs of the Pawtucket and Central Falls communities with responsiveness and respectfulness.
Michael Balint
Michael Balint received his Bachelor's Degree of Science in Graphic Design from the University of Cincinnati's School of Design, Art, Architecture and Planning in 1994. He served as a design director at a leading firm in Cambridge, MA prior to forming Miba Design in 1998. Miba Design specializes in brand identity design and promotional print design. Most of Michael's free-time passion is consumed by the renovation of a historic mill building located in Woonsocket, RI.
Robert Billington, Ed.D.
Dr. Robert Billington, trained as a cabinet-maker, received his higher education from Johnson & Wales University. He is a founder of several non-profit organizations and serves as a Trustee on many others including the Beacon Charter High School for the Arts. He has led the Blackstone Valley Tourism Council for the past 26 years, is a Commissioner with the National Park Service's Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor Commission, teaches tourism and hospitality programs in higher education and is a winner of three international awards in tourism, one by the United Nations World Tourism Organization. Currently he is constructing a riverfront park in Central Falls and leading the Rhode Island Music Hall of Fame.
Richard Brush
Richard Brush has been in higher education for the past 20 years. In his current role he is responsible for the daily management of The Hospitality College at the Providence Campus. This entails not only overseeing the quality of instruction, but also ensuring fiscal responsibility and conducting long-range planning for the college and its various programs, faculty and students. Prior to joining JWU, Brush worked in the hospitality industry for 17 years. He was a part of both the Sheraton and Omni Hotel corporations, and held general management positions in Teheran, Iran; Dallas and Houston, Texas; Atlanta, Ga.; Providence, R.I. and Baltimore, Md. A member of the University Dean's Committee, Brush also serves on various boards, including The Educational Foundation of the Rhode Island Hospitality & Tourism Association, Leadership Rhode Island and as a trustee on the board of the Beacon Charter School. He is also a member of Experience Lodging (AH&LA) and the Radisson Hotels Advisory Council.
George Costa
George Costa has both a long career in the area of professional social work and community arts leadership. Mr. Costa is a retired social worker who spent an esteemed career with the RI Department of Families, Youth and Children. George often serves as a technical advisor to the school regarding matters of referral and contact with numerous state agencies. His experience is invaluable in navigating state bureaucracy. Additionally, George is a dual member of both the Northern Rhode Island Council for the Arts and the Caesar Ferrari Foundation; organizations which were instrumental in the founding of Beacon and George remains today as the most visible and collegial link to the school's humble foundations.
Joseph Garlick
Joe Garlick is the Executive Director of NeighborWorks Blackstone River Valley, a nonprofit community development corporation that develops affordable housing in Northern Rhode Island. He has a Masters in City and Regional Planning from Rutgers University and a BA in Humanities from Providence College. He has twenty-five years of experience in housing finance and development, community economic development, and fundraising and resource development.
Ralph J. Jasparro, Ph.D.
Dr. Ralph J. Jasparro currently teaches in the Doctoral Program in Educational Leadership at Johnson & Wales University. He has a broad educational background including service as a middle and high school teacher, high school assistant principal, assistant superintendent, and superintendent of schools. He is the former Executive Director of the Rhode Island Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development and past President of the Rhode Island Association of School Administrators. Prior to joining the staff at Johnson & Wales University, he taught in the graduate school of education at Providence College for twenty five-years. He has authored several publications and has presented at numerous national and state conferences. His major research interests are in the areas of strategic planning, curriculum improvement, school reform, and professional development.
Irving Schneider, Ph.D.
Dr. Irving Schneider was employed by Johnson & Wales University for the past 41 years and recently retired in July 2011. He has held various positions including faculty, dean, vice president of academic affairs, vice president of the Providence Campus, and president of the Providence Campus. Schneider has been on over twenty boards and in his retirement continues to serve on the Beacon board along with three others.
Susan Vollucci
Susan Vollucci has been a teacher of the visual arts for the past 25 years including: Central Falls High School, as a full time visual arts faculty member of the Arts Academy (for the past 13 years), School One Alternative High School, RISD Continuing Education and Museum faculty, and Director of Education for the Museum of New Mexico in Santa Fe, NM. She graduated from Pratt Institute in NYC with a BFA, and from Rhode Island School of Design, with a Masters Degree in Arts and Teaching. She has completed most of the requirements for a MFA in painting at Rhode Island College and studied fine arts conservation at the Fogg Museum, Harvard University. She is the Chair of the School Improvement Team at Central Falls High, facilitator and creator of the school's Advisory Program and was a member of the committee that created the school's proficiency based graduation requirements. She is a practicing artist and a parent of a sophomore student in visual arts at Beacon.
