Evee Robinson, Board Chair

Evee grew up in MA and is a transplant to Rhode Island. She went to Bridgewater State for her undergraduate degree in Communications and English. She is in the Applied Linguistics Master's degree program at UMASS Boston. She worked in healthcare for ten years before switching to Education. She was a paraprofessional for a few years in Special Education and later became an ESL teacher. She has been in Education for 6 years. She has three great kids in middle and elementary school. She has been involved in community theatre for 20 years and has a strong passion for the Performing Arts. Mrs. Robinson was named Beacon's Board Chair in September 2023.

Wade Richmond, Vice Chair

Wade is the founder and CEO of CISO ToGo, LLC. The mission/vision of his organization is to enable small to mid-sized organizations to have an experienced, motivated, and committed cybersecurity leader as part of their team, without the limiting burden of funding full-time resources, to secure their data, systems, employees, customers, and investors. Prior to founding his current company, Wade had worked in cybersecurity leadership roles for BJ’s Wholesale Clubs, Ahold USA, Sensata Technologies, Brooks/Eckerd Pharmacies, GTECH Corporation, Citizens Financial Group, and CVS Pharmacies. Beyond Wade’s focus on cybersecurity, his over-36 years of experience in the IT field, also includes application development, complex field implementations, data center operations, infrastructure, technology risk management, and various aspects of technical support.

Wade has been married to his wife, Diane, for over 36 years, and lives in Pascoag, RI. He has two adult daughters, three granddaughters, and one grandson. Apart from family time, he spends much of his “spare time” working with teens as Youth Minister at his church, providing music (guitar and vocals) for Worship services, and volunteering in various capacities. Wade's daughter is a Beacon Alumnus, Class of 2008.

Karen Stirling, Treasurer

Karen Stirling joined the Board of Directors in 2021 and holds the position of our Treasurer. She brings to our leadership team over 15 years of professional experience in the financial and banking industry, currently serving the role of Vice President at Home Loan Investment Bank in Warwick, RI. Born and raised on the South Shore of MA, Karen is the youngest of four siblings and the mother of one of our very own high school students. Karen is a Magna Cum Laude graduate of Southern New Hampshire University earning her BS Business Administration and Nonprofit Management. Throughout her career in finance and banking, she has consistently participated in various nonprofit and charitable organizations with a passion for contributing to her community. 

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Karen joined the Beacon Charter Schools’ Board of Directors with the mission to be an active role model, not only for her own son, but for all our students and community. Karen hopes that her participation on the Board spreads inspiration, governance, and creativity to our students and to help with the growth and development of our future leaders. 

Michael Smith, Secretary

Michael Smith has been a Beacon Board member since December 2021. He is a class of 2015 Beacon Alum, with management experience in the food & beverage industry. Currently, he works in insurance & investments for those retiring and planning for retirement.  Having been connected to Beacon since being a student, Michael Smith hopes to continue to watch the school grow and progress. He hopes to contribute a younger voice and fresh ideas to the Beacon Board of Directors. In his free time, Mr. Smith enjoys spending time with loved ones and tapping into his artistic side, which he says was refined at Beacon. 

Michael Almonte

Michael Almonte joined the Board of Directors in January 2023. Michael brings 10+ years of healthcare experience and is currently the Quality Assurance Manager for Coastal Medical. Michael has earned a BS in Health Sciences and a BA in Psychology from Rhode Island College, an MBA from Salve Regina University, and is enrolled in the Medical Sciences doctoral program at Northeastern University.

Michael joined the Beacon community with the objective to invest in our youth and future leaders. As a born and raised Rhode Islander and high school graduate from the first state charter school, Michael is excited to be part of the Beacon community. 

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Marlon Carey

Marlon Carey is a poet (published chapbooks: Giraffe Theory (2000), Prolegomenon (2003) and Lazarus (2007) who has been a member of both the Boston Poetry Slam and Boston Lizard Lounge Poetry Slam Teams. He is also a proud member of the Providence RI-based poetry troupe, Brother’s Keeper. Marlon is also an Educator (teaching Poetry, Hip Hop and Creative Writing in the New England area and around the country), Actor (The Sunset Limited, Topdog/Underdog, Othello, When Mahalia Sings, Take Me Out, A Few Good Men), Communicator (producer and radio DJ on “Off Tha Top”, WELH 88.1FM - Brown Student Radio) and Entertainer (released EPs: There Is No Plan, Be. and Plan M: the un-Mixtape, End of The World Mixtape 2012: OCCUPY Your Mind.) Carey earned his BFA degree in Creative Writing at St. Andrews College in Laurinburg, NC, and is proud to be a New England Poet, with respect to his Jamaican immigrant roots. He is a full-time father of three remarkable children and is a husband to a very extraordinary wife.

Joseph Garlick

Mr. Joseph Garlick has been a member of the Beacon Board since 2011. Mr. Garlick works in Affordable Housing and Community Development. He hopes that in serving on the Beacon Board he can help close achievement gaps and provide support to a school that does so much to serve the community. In his free time, Mr. Garlick enjoys perfecting his carrot cake and cheesecake recipes, reading, and swimming.

Angela Gonzalez (AGonza)

AGONZA is a Latina Activist Artist and Providence native. Her roots and origins are from the Dominican Republic and Puerto Rico. AGONZA lives to fight for her community and encourage body positivity and equality. She has displayed her work in New York, Massachusetts, and Rhode Island. She has won multiple awards and has been on multiple newsletters, front pages, and even has been breaking news in Providence, RI. AGONZA made History in Providence Housing Authorities as the first to paint two exterior walls on the residency building, as a former resident, to then become an employee at PHA.

AGONZA has been a social worker since 2014 as her daytime job. On nights and weekends, she creates murals around the city to create conversation on topics of concern. She also has been a Board member at the Avenue Concept since 2019. She continues to use her knowledge of social work and her personal life to connect with her community. She shares all her artwork via social media platforms mostly on INSTAGRAM where she is known as @AGONZAART.

Jennifer Jolicoeur

Jennifer Jolicoeur joined the Beacon Board in December 2021. Mrs. Jolicoeur is a well-respected business owner in the city of Woonsocket. Mrs. Jolicoeur has been honored by the State of RI, The Northern RI Tourism Counsel and the Mayor of Woonsocket for her contributions to the community. 

Jennifer Jolicoeur became a Beacon Board Member in October of 2021. Both of her children attended Beacon, but it was her daughter’s experience that led Jennifer to commit some of her valuable time to the Beacon Board. Mrs. Jolicoeur claims that Beacon saved her daughter’s life. Her daughter, Rain, is an autistic individual who struggled socially and academically her entire scholastic career. By the time Rain arrived at Beacon Charter School in 9th Grade, she was suicidal and lost.  Within a few short months, Rain was blossoming. Surrounded by other kids who were branded as “different” in the public school environment, she felt as though she had found her people. Rain went on to become a thriving member of the drama community, and ended high school with high honors and many lifelong friendships. Rain is currently double majoring at Rhode Island College and won a Best Actress award in 2018 for her role as Joan of Arc. Because of the Beacon staff and the culture that helped Rain, Mrs. Jolicoeur joined the Board in hopes of contributing her passion for inclusion and positive change.

Garrett Mancieri, Board Chair

Garrett Mancieri is a founding member, former Chairman (2015-2019) and current Executive Director of the Downtown Woonsocket Collaborative since 2015. He is self-employed as a commercial and residential licensed Realtor working in RI & MA. He holds a Bachelor's Degree of Business Administration from Rhode Island College. Mancieri has been involved in 8 (million dollar plus) developments in Woonsocket and helped more than 30 businesses start up or expand in the area. In 2015, he worked with the Woonsocket Planning Department to draft and sponsor the Woonsocket Downtown Overlay District which has attracted more investment and businesses to the downtown district. In addition, he is also the Chairman of Autumnfest (Northern R.I.'s Largest Festival), and a member of several committees and organizations including the NRI Board of Realtors, Rotary Club of Woonsocket, Woonsocket Head Start, Sojourner House, Beacon Charter School, Levitt AMP Woonsocket, and several other boards.

Deana Marzocchi

Deana Marzocchi is an experienced creative professional specializing in an innovative yet traditional graphic design style. She is an Associate Professor of graphic design at Johnson & Wales University (JWU) and also serves as the Design Department Chair.

Marzocchi's area of expertise is branding and print design. Academically, she takes a special interest in experiential education. She has been working extensively with design students in the Design Team I and II courses that focus on authentic learning experiences, which pair students with community organizations.

Another area of interest is building and expanding the curriculum of the JWU Design Department, which includes keeping the curriculum relevant and current with industry trends. Creating partnerships with the greater community, both in the private and nonprofit sectors, is an important part of Marzocchi’s plan.

Outside of her position at JWU, Marzocchi has a diversified portfolio of freelance graphic design clients, but her specialty is restaurant and food service marketing. Her creative passion spans many mediums, including painting and drawing. Her greatest joy is sharing time with her husband, children, step-children, and crazy dogs — Alice & Bella.

Allan Piekos

Mr. Piekos joined the Beacon Board of Directors in April 2022. He was raised in Woonsocket and is happy to be giving back to the community by serving on Beacon's board. He graduated from Savannah College of Art and Design with a BFA in Computer Art. He worked as an IT/Game Design Teacher at the Woonsocket Area Career and Technical School. Currently, he is the Manager of Heavy Press Graphics in Woonsocket. Mr. Piekos has a son who attends Founders Academy. He has a high appreciation for the arts, and especially arts-based education. He joined Beacon's board to have the opportunity to be actively involved in his son's education. He is excited to see how Beacon Charter Schools grows and progresses. 

George Costa, Board Member Emeritus

Francis X. Tweedie, Ed.D, Board Member Emeritus