Taveras Nominates Keith A. Oliveira, Julian Dash and Barbara T. Wong to School Board

Mayor Angel Taveras has nominated Keith A. Oliveira, Julian Dash and Barbara T. Wong to serve on the Providence School Board. The nominations have been submitted to the City Council for consideration this evening.

Oliveira was appointed last April to fill a vacant seat on the School Board with a term that expired at the end of 2011. Dash has been a member of the School Board for three years and is being nominated for a second term. Wong has not previously served on the School Board. All three are being nominated for three-year terms that expire on December 31, 2014.

"The School Board plays a vital role in our work to improve our schools and give all students the education they need and deserve. I cannot think of more qualified candidates to serve on the Providence School Board than Keith Oliveira, Julian Dash and Barbara Wong. I look forward to their service as we move forward to make the Providence Public School District one of the best urban school districts in America," said Mayor Taveras.

Oliveira, who works as the admissions and family engagement officer at the Rhode Island Nurses Institute Middle College Charter School in Providence, is an experienced and well-respected former public education official and dedicated community servant. He has served as a senior policy analyst for Lieutenant Governor Elizabeth Roberts, and worked for 11 years as a senior administrator for the Rhode Island Department of Education (RIDE), serving until 2010 as a senior policy advisor to former Commissioner of Education Peter McWalters, as well as the Department of Education's legislative liaison to the Rhode Island General Assembly.

Oliveira has a BA in urban public policy formulation from the University of Rhode Island. He is a lifelong Providence resident who attended Fox Point Elementary School, Nathan Bishop Middle School, and Hope High School.

Oliveira has served on numerous community boards including the Providence Waterfront Park Design Review Committee, the Rhode Island Enterprise Zone Council, the Providence Plan Housing Corporation, the Fox Point Boys' & Girls Club Alumni Association, and the Providence Human Relations Commission. He is also a former chairman of the Providence School Board Nominating Commission.

"I believe that every student entering our public schools in Providence deserves a high-quality education that will prepare them to compete in our global economy and be a productive citizen. I have dedicated much of my career towards providing innovative and high-quality learning environments for urban students throughout Rhode Island. I look forward to continuing this personal mission as a member of the Providence School Board," said Oliveira.

Dash, a Providence resident, is the director of the Rhode Island Economic Development Corporation's Renewable Energy Fund, overseeing the development and implementation of the state's renewable energy and energy efficiency initiatives that support the RI EDC's mission of job creation and economic expansion.

From 2005 to 2008, while serving as the executive director/director of real estate for Puente, Dash managed all aspects of financing, development and design of The Plant, a $20M mixed-use, mixed-income, green redevelopment project in Providence's Valley neighborhood. From 2005 to 2008, he led Dash Development, a Providence-based consulting firm specializing in urban green development.

Dash has a B.S. in internal finance from Morgan State University and an MBA in entrepreneurship from Babson College.

"It is a great privilege and responsibility to continue serving on the Providence School Board. I look forward to working with the administration, City Council, and the School Department along with our teachers, families and community, as we continue to improve our public schools and the quality of education delivered to each and every child in the district," said Dash.

Wong, a Providence resident, is the executive director of Providence CityArts for Youth, Inc., a community-based arts center in South Providence with a mission to provide quality arts education free-of-charge, to at-risk urban youth ages 8-14. CityArts serves over 1,200 youth in daytime and out-of-school time programs.

From 1997 to 2000, Wong worked as a grants officer for The Rhode Island Foundation. Her grant-making portfolio focused on the arts, children and families, economic and community development, and education, with emphasis on the arts and community/neighborhood building programs.

Wong has a BFA from Cornell University, and an MA in Art Education from the Rhode Island School of Design, where she wrote her graduate thesis on collaborations for effective arts programs and policies in education reform.

Among her community efforts, Wong has served on the board of the Brown Fox Point Early Childcare Education Center, and as a member of the Mott Foundation / PASA and Providence Public Schools Advisory for A New Day for Learning grant to the City of Providence, the Providence AfterSchool Alliance (PASA)--AfterZone Council member and grant review panel, the Providence Youth Arts Collaborative (PYAC), and on the selection committee of the Balfour Minority Scholarships for RISD pre-college students.

"I am honored and excited to serve the educational and developmental needs of Providence's youth by becoming a member of Providence's School Board," said Wong. "Our children deserve access to a quality education and opportunities that will help them achieve success for the future. I look forward to working with the School Department and Mayor Taveras' administration in their efforts to transform our schools and strengthen outcomes for youth in our city."