Leadership

Guided by President Crystal Williams, our leadership furthers the reach and champions the transformational power of creative education.

Crystal Williams — President

Crystal Williams believes that education, art and design, and commitments to equity and justice are essential to transforming our society. Williams has more than two decades of higher education experience. She is an institutional catalyst, helping to envision, define and achieve greater outcomes for students, faculty and staff. As a faculty member, she has focused on advancing artistic inquiry and engagement. As a leader, she ensures through her work that institutions are more effective, mission-aligned and diverse, equitable and inclusive.

President’s Cabinet

Renee Byas

General Counsel

Sofiya Cabalquinto

Chief Marketing and Communications Officer

Amanda Clark MacMullan

Vice President for Institutional Advancement

Antonia Craig

Special Assistant to the President & Secretary to the Board of Trustees

Touba Ghadessi

Provost

Bethany Jankunis

Vice President for Strategy and Planning and Senior Advisor to the President

Tsugumi Maki

Director, RISD Museum

Rick Mickool

Chief Information Officer

James O'Hara

Vice President for Enrollment Management

Ray Quirolgico

Vice President of Student Life

Liz Rainone

Vice President for Human Resources

David Rosati

Senior Vice President for Finance and Administration

Jack Silva

Vice President for Campus Services

Board of Trustees

The primary responsibilities of the Board of Trustees are to:

advance RISD’s mission
provide organizational oversight
set policies

Officers of the Board

Hillary Blumberg 92 FAV
New York, NY
Co-Chair
design director

Karen Hammond
Providence, RI
Vice Chair
retired (former Managing Director, Devonshire Investors)

David Moon Ki Lee 00 GD
New York, NY
Co-Chair
Chief Creative Officer, Squarespace

Tavares Strachan 03 GL
New York, NY
Vice Chair
artist

Term Trustees

Her Excellency Sheikha Al Mayassa bint Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani
New York, NY
Chair, Qatar Museums, Doha Film Institute and Qatar Leadership

Ashleigh Axios 08 GD
Washington, DC
Chief Experience Officer and co-owner, Coforma

David C. Barclay P 10
Los Angeles, CA
retired (former Senior Vice President and Director, Capital Research and Management Company)

Caroline Baumann
New York, NY
design leader; former Director, Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum

Jill Hertz Blaustein
New York, NY
Co-Founder and President, The Strategic Muses

Gabrielle Bullock BArch 84
Los Angeles, CA
Principal and Director of Global Diversity, Perkins and Will

Ilene Chaiken 79 GD/P 18
Los Angeles, CA
writer, producer, show runner

Norman Chan BArch 85
Hong Kong
Director, BTR Workshop

Donald Choi 82 BArch
Hong Kong
retired (former Executive Director and Chief Executive Officer, Chinachem Group)

Ryan Cunningham 02 FAV
New York, NY
Owner, Running Woman

Robert A. DiMuccio
Cumberland, RI
retired (former President and CEO, Amica Mutual Insurance Company)

Michelle Ebanks
New York, NY
President and CEO, Apollo Theater

Shepard Fairey 92 IL / HD 21
Los Angeles, CA
artist and founder, OBEY

Fabian Fondriest P 16
Boston, MA
CEO, American Family Direct and Homesite Insurance

Robert W. Glass P 11
San Francisco, CA
Executive Vice President of Corporate Development, Robert Half International

C.C. Melvin Ike
New York, NY
Founder and Managing Partner, The Visualize Group

Geetanjali Kirloskar
Bangalore, India
Chair and managing director, Kirloskar Systems

Mary Lovejoy
Barrington, RI
retired (former Vice President and Treasurer, Textron)

Nicole J. Miller 73 AP
New York, NY
fashion designer and Co-Founder/President, Kobra International Ltd.

Yvette Rivera P 14
McLean, VA
Associate Director, Equity and Access Programs Division
United States Department of Transportation

Michael Rock MFA 84 GD
New York, NY
Founding Partner and Creative Director, 2x4

Shahzia Sikander MFA 95 PT/PR
New York, NY
artist

Ex Officio Trustees

Richard W. “Dick” Haining Sr. P 05
Atlanta, GA
Chair, Emeriti Trustees
retired (former Vice President, Montag & Caldwell)

Sonja O’Donnell P 22
Castine, ME
Chair, Families Association

Crystal Williams
Providence, RI
President, Rhode Island School of Design

Rex Wong BArch 03
Hong Kong
President, Alumni Association
CEO, Kum Shing Holdings

Emeriti Trustees

Anthony C. Belluschi BArch
66/P 95
Portland, OR

Vincent A. Buonanno
Providence, RI

Jamie F. Carpenter 72 IL
New York, NY

Jane Chace Carroll HD 06
New York, NY

Clara M. Dale BArch 75
New York, NY

Susan W. Dryfoos P 01
New York, NY

Bayard C. Ewing
Denver, CO

Katherine Freygang 80 IA/MFA 81 GD
Cornwall, CT

A. Corwin Frost 59 AR/P 97
Bronxville, NY

Wilfrid L. Gates, Jr. 65 LA
North Kingstown, RI

Cathy Barancik Graham 76 PT
New York, NY

Richard W. “Dick” Haining Sr. P 05
Atlanta, GA

William R. Hammer BArch 65
Cambridge, MA

Ronne Hartfield
Chicago, IL

Dorothy Hebden-Heath 57 PT
Boston, MA

Se-Ung Lee P 91
Seoul, Korea

David A. Macaulay BArch 69 / HD 04
Norwich, VT

Pauline C. Metcalf
New York, NY

Stephen A. Metcalf
Providence, RI

Stuart J. Murphy 64 IL/P 96
Boston, MA

J. Terrence Murray
Narragansett, RI

Joan Ress Reeves
Providence, RI

M. Kate Rittmann P 95
Orinda, CA

Merrill W. Sherman
Jamestown, RI

Philip E. Tobey BArch 66
Reston, VA

* RISD alumni are noted by a class year and major acronym following their names. Parents and grandparents of alumni are designated by P or GP, plus the year of graduation, and honorary degrees are designated by HD plus the year awarded.