Neil D. Steinberg, President and Chief Executive Officer of the Rhode Island Foundation, will address the Class of 2016 at Rocky Hill School’s commencement exercises, Friday, June 10, 2016 at 10:00 a.m.
The Rhode Island Foundation works to address the needs of Rhode Island’s diverse communities through philanthropy, grant making, and community leadership. In 2014, with assets of more than $809 million, the organization raised $33.7 million and distributed $34.8 million in grants. The Rhode Island Foundation is ranked as the 22nd largest (by assets) community foundation in the United States and will celebrate its centennial on June 13, 2016.
“Rocky Hill School is proud to have a community leader like Neil Steinberg addressing the Class of 2016,” said Head of School Peter Branch. “Mr. Steinberg’s message, and that of the Rhode Island Foundation, is one of building partnerships toward a common good, something Rocky Hill School values and practices as part of its mission. The Class of 2016 will surely be inspired by Mr. Steinberg’s accomplishments in the private and non-profit sectors, and by the passion he demonstrates in his work at the Foundation and for Rhode Island.”
“It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to address this year’s graduating class at Rocky Hill School,” said Neil Steinberg. “I very much look forward to meeting the students and their families to celebrate this grand occasion. Rocky Hill’s commitment to the value of community service along with inspiring students to be leaders and lifelong learners is consistent with the Rhode Island Foundation’s mission to be a proactive community and philanthropic leader in our state.”
Steinberg came to the Rhode Island Foundation in 2008 from Brown University, his alma mater, after serving as vice president of development. For the three decades prior to that, he worked for FleetBoston Financial where he rose to the position of Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of Fleet Bank Rhode Island.
Steinberg co-chaired Rhode Island’s Race to the Top Steering Committee, was on the advisory committee of the United Way of Rhode Island, and has served as a director of the Providence Foundation, the Rhode Island Public Expenditure Council, the Providence Performing Arts Center, and the Urban League. He currently serves as a trustee of the Rhode Island Commodores and the Greater Providence Chamber of Commerce, and is a member of the Healthy Rhode Island Steering Committee.
In 2015, he was bestowed with an Honorary Doctorate in Humane Letters by Bryant University, and received Providence Business News’ “Corporate Citizen” Business Excellence award. In 2014, he was named one of the 10 most influential leaders in the region’s business community by Providence Business News. In 2013, he received the Rhode Island School Superintendent Association’s Paul Crowley Award for his commitment to improving the quality of education for the children of Rhode Island. He was also awarded Leadership Rhode Island’s David E. Sweet Leadership Award for his leadership and commitment to the community. In 2010, he was named one of Rhode Island’s Most Influential People and one of the 25 Driving Forces in the Rhode Island business community during the past 25 years by Rhode Island Monthly.
Steinberg holds an A.B. in Applied Mathematics from Brown University, and was inducted into the Brown Hall of Fame in 2007.
