Vice President, Board of Directors

Josh Avila recently joined Suffolk Construction as the Program Manager for the Mission Critical business unit. Prior to that, he served as Deputy Chief Operating Officer and Recovery Compliance Project Manager under the Office of former Mayor Jorge Elorza in Providence, Rhode Island. In that role, he oversaw day-to-day operations of ten City departments, conducted strategic development/planning, facilitated and co-authors grants, and ensured efficient and effective usage of federal recovery dollars and ARPA funding. His portfolio also included social equity initiatives including the African American Ambassadors Group, the City's Mental Health Taskforce, the Steering Committee for the Department of Diversity, Equity, Inclusion, and Belonging (DEIB), and the Internal Ambassadors for Equity.

Within the community, Josh serves on a variety of Rhode Island boards and committees, including the House of Hope Community Development Corporation and Rhode Island Black Storytellers.

Josh graduated with an MPA from Roger Williams University and attended Harvard Kennedy School for the Senior Executives in State and Local Government Executive Education course in 2022. He currently serves as an Advisor and Professor at College Unbound teaching Organizational Leadership and Public Budgeting.

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