John Kelly Named Community Tri-Chair of Providence Children and Youth Cabinet

Meeting Street CEO will help lead organization working to improve outcomes for youth.

John Kelly has been named the Community Chairman of the Providence Children and Youth Cabinet (CYC), the cross-sector collaborative organization focused on improving outcomes for Providence's young people.

The primary responsibility of the Community Chairman is to provide leadership, guidance and support to the CYC at the executive level. As the Community Chairman, Kelly will represent the interests of community groups, residents and youth.

Kelly will serve alongside the other tri-chairs of the CYC, Dr. Susan Lusi, the Superintendent of Providence Public Schools, and Angela Romans, Mayor Taveras' Senior Adviser on Education.

"I am delighted to welcome John Kelly to his new position as Community Chairman of the Children and Youth Cabinet," said Mayor Taveras. "During his career as President and CEO of Meeting Street and through his involvement with numerous other community organizations, John has demonstrated energetic leadership and a strong commitment to our city. I have no doubt that John will serve in this leadership role at the CYC with distinction."

Kelly, a Providence resident, has been the President and CEO of Meeting Street since 1998. During his tenure, Kelly has overseen the development of Meeting Street's South Providence campus. An attorney by training, Kelly previously focused his law practice in corporate and real estate law as a partner at Tillinghast, Collins & Graham.

Kelly is also the vice chairman of the I-195 Redevelopment District Commission. He formerly served as chairman of The Providence Revolving Fund and the Providence Zoning Board of Review and was a member of the Providence Board of Park Commissioners. Kelly has held leadership positions at The Genesis Center in Providence and the Coalition for Community Development and was a board member for the Boys and Girls Clubs of Providence.

"As the President of Meeting Street, I have enjoyed playing an active role in helping to shape the educational opportunities and outcomes for thousands of children in our state," said Kelly. "I am honored to join with Superintendent Susan Lusi and Angela Romans, the Mayor's Education Adviser, to lead the Children and Youth Cabinet and continue the important focus on both immediate and long-range goals related to attendance, grade-level reading, high school success, and college and career preparation of Providence's children and young adults."

The CYC, a cross-sector collaboration of community leaders, was formed in 2009 to improve coordination of services across agencies, increase collaboration, and foster better social, economic, behavioral and health outcomes for Providence's young people.

The CYC targets four broad goals aligned with the Mayor's vision for improving education: All children show up for school ready to learn. They have strong schools and teachers. They have the resources they need outside of school. And all students graduate ready to attend college and/or begin a successful career.

The CYC and its director, Rebecca Boxx, are affiliated with and housed at Brown University's Annenberg Institute for School Reform (AISR), a national education policy research and reform support organization that focuses on improving conditions and outcomes for all students in urban K-12 public schools, especially those in underserved communities.

To learn more about the Providence Children and Youth Cabinet and their work, visit http://www.cycprovidence.org/