About
Rhode Island for Community & Justice (RICJ) is a social justice nonprofit dedicated to fighting bias, bigotry, and racism and promoting understanding among all races, religions, and cultures through advocacy, conflict resolution, and education. It is our purpose to transform communities to be more inclusive and just by empowering people to lead institutional change. We are the voice that calls people to common ground, with respect for differences but with the understanding that people of all backgrounds have common values and needs that unite them.
Fighting bias, bigotry and racism.
Promoting understanding.
OUR MISSION
To promote understanding and respect across groups, RICJ believes society must acknowledge the dynamics of power and privilege and the role individuals play in creating attitudes, behavior and practices that support systems of exclusion and oppression either overt or covert.
Through its adult and youth programming, RICJ works with students, teachers, clergy, corporate and civic leaders to facilitate workshops, develop curriculum, convene race relations and inter-religious dialogues, and provide consulting on challenges related to bias, bigotry and racism. Our current focus on youth programs and juvenile justice reforms is due largely to the organizations belief that today's teens are tomorrow's leaders, and through them is the only way to create long-lasting positive change in our communities.
OUR STORY
WHO WE ARE: OUR STAFF
Toby Ayers, PhD
Executive Advisor
Dr. Ayers is a community psychologist with doctorate from Washington State University and postdoctoral fellowship at University of Michigan, Ann Arbor. She was Executive Director 2004 - 2024, leading administration, strategic planning and fundraising, the Civil Rights Roundtable and she founded and directs our Juvenile Justice program. She teams with Rose and RICJ youth on our diversity and workplace consulting service.
Jace Cardona
Juvenile Justice Reform VISTA
Jace (he/him) is RICJ's Juvenile Justice Reform VISTA. He promotes juvenile diversion by helping support and expand the Juvenile Hearing Boards in RI, with the primary objective to reduce racial and ethnic disparities in the juvenile justice system. He assists in providing JHBs resources, training, educational opportunities, and connections throughout the community by helping organize events including the Community Ally Coalition and statewide
JHB meetings.
Juvenile Justice Reform VISTA
Veronica Godina
Bonner Fellow
Veronica is a junior at Brown University but is originally from Chicago, IL. As a Bonner Fellow, she will be with RICJ for all four years of college. She works with the juvenile justice team but also does independent research for RICJ. This work is especially meaningful to her after witnessing the negative impacts of the school-to-prison pipeline and juvenile incarceration in her own community. After college, she hopes to enter law school and focus on juvenile justice law or immigration law.
Melissa Mota
Assistant Director for Sustainability and Operations
Sharlene Tavares
Youth Programs Coordinator
Rose Albert
Executive Director
OUR BOARD
Board of Directors:
President: David Winoker, Belvoir Properties
Vice President: Michael Evora, Rhode Island Commission for Human Rights
2nd Vice President: Kelly Coutcher, Fidelity Investments
Secretary: Col. Steven Paré, City of Providence
Advisor to the Board: Dr. Larome Myrick
Directors:
Shameem Awan, Amica Insurance
Stephanie Beaute, Hi Marley, Inc.
Krystal Carvalho, RI State Police
Andrew Douglass, Douglass Law
Stephanie Hague, Jewish Alliance of RI
David Leach
Emeritis Past Presidents
Dr. John McCray, University of RI (Past President)
Sam Palmisano, Amica Insurance (Past President)
OUR 2023 Annual Fund SPONSORS
Thank you to our Early-Bird 2023 Annual Fundraiser sponsors as of mid-October.
COMMUNITY SPONSORS are Amica Insurance and Belvoir Properties.
INCLUSION SPONSORS are AAA Northeast and Hinckley Allen.
JUSTICE Sponsor is Cox Communications.
RESPECT Sponsors are KPMG and Scout/Bok.