Staff & Board
Board of Directors
Dave Annese
Karen Allen Baxter
Paul Castellone
Stacie Collier, Esq. - Chair
Peter Coop
Donald DiBlasi – Vice-Chair
Michael Egan - Secretary
Richard Espuet
Larry Gemma
Senator Maryellen Goodwin
Lisa Gordon
Dave Kelaghan
Lisa La Dew
Kathleen Locarno
Guyde Lombari
John McCauley
Lynne McCormack
Bertha Mugurdichian
Kevin Oates - Treasurer
Diane Sullivan
Richard J. Sullivan
Richard T. Sullivan
William R. Walter
Key Staff
William R. Walter (bio)
President/CEO
(401) 455-3880 x214
wwalter@capcities.org
Kara Bennett (bio)
Chief Operating Officer
(401) 455-3880 x244
kbennett@capcities.org
Linda Cronin (bio)
Director of Early Childhood Learning
Smith Hill Early Childhood Learning Center Director
(401) 455-3890
lcronin@capcities.org
Deborah Durant (bio)
Woonsocket Early Learning Center Director
(401) 235-9061
Shelli Boeniger (bio)
Director of Capital City Senior Program
(401) 455-3888
sboeniger@capcities.org
Jane Hudson (bio)
Prevention Program Manager
(401) 455-3880 x230
jhudson@capcities.org
Toya Barnes (bio)
Director of School Age Programs
(401) 455-3880 x224
tbarnes@capcities.org
Suzanne Alden
Development Associate
(401) 455-3880 x252
salden@capcities.org
Christina Kettell
Case Manager/Administrative Assistant
(401) 455-3880 x218
ckettell@capcities.org
Staff Bios
William R. Walter, President/CEO
Bill has served as Capital City Community Centers’ chief executive since 1994. He manages a professional staff of 55 and oversees all aspects of the organization’s operation. Bill has served on the Board of Directors for a number of Rhode Island nonprofits, including Kent County YMCA, Greater Providence YMCA and Veteran’s Memorial Auditorium. In his 35 years of management experience, he has been responsible for multimillion dollar enterprises employing over 500 employees. His extensive experience includes expertise in executive search and organizational planning and development. Bill is a graduate of the State University of New York.
Kara Bennett, Chief Operating Officer
Kara has been with Capital City Community Centers for a decade, serving in various roles including human resources, operations and development. She currently directs all aspects of the agency's operations and oversees its marketing and development functions. Kara is a graduate of Houghton College.
Linda Cronin, Director of Early Childhood Learning Programs
Linda has over 20 years of experience in education, managing our early childhood programs since 2001. She directly oversees both of the agency’s early learning centers and serves as the Smith Hill Early Childhood Learning Center Director. Previously, Linda taught elementary school and served as a staff development coordinator. She holds a graduate degree in Elementary Education from Rhode Island College.
Shelli Boeniger, Capital City Senior Program Director
As the Director of Capital City Community Centers’ Senior Center, Shelli manages all aspects of our senior services and programs, including health and wellness, recreation, meals and education. She has previous experience in adult day care, administration and nonprofit fundraising. Shelli is a graduate of Johnson State College in Vermont.
Deborah Durant, Woonsocket Early Learning Center Director
Since 2003, Debbie has provided early childhood care for Capital City Community Centers’ two early learning centers. For three years she served as the Head Teacher/Preschool Teacher for the Smith Hill Early Childhood Learning Center. In 2006, she was appointed Director of the Woonsocket center to manage and oversee the center’s operations. In addition to early childhood, Debbie has extensive experience in finance and administration. She is a Rhode Island College graduate.
Jane Hudson, State Incentive Grant Program Manager
Jane has over twenty years experience working in the areas of prevention programming and human and organizational development. Previously, she worked as a management consultant in government and business. She currently oversees all grant activities for implementing a comprehensive substance abuse prevention initiative in Providence and North Providence. This includes the implementation of the LifeSkills and Iowa Strengthening Families science-based prevention programs. Jane holds a Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from Rhode Island College.
Toya Barnes, Director of School Age Programs
Toya has been with Capital City Community Centers since 2004. During her years here, she has served in various roles as Head Teacher and Director in one of our early learning centers. She then went on to become a Trainer of Trainer in the High/Scope Approach to Preschool Curriculum. In 2008, she was appointed to the Director of School Age Programs. She earned her Bachelors degree in Early Childhood Education from Lasell College. She is currently pursuing her M.Ed. in School Administration from Cambridge College.
