Verrazzano Committee names Tri-Town CEO DeSantis as Man of the Year

Posted 3/19/15

The Verrazzano Day Observance Committee, comprised of members from the Order Sons of Italy in America (Grand Lodge of Rhode Island) and Italian American War Veterans of the United States (Rhode …

This item is available in full to subscribers.

Please log in to continue

E-mail
Password
Log in

Verrazzano Committee names Tri-Town CEO DeSantis as Man of the Year

Posted

The Verrazzano Day Observance Committee, comprised of members from the Order Sons of Italy in America (Grand Lodge of Rhode Island) and Italian American War Veterans of the United States (Rhode Island division), recently announced its 2015 Man of the Year – Joseph DeSantis, CEO of Tri-Town Community Action Agency and South County Community Action Agency.

“I think it’s an excellent match,” said Joe Sarro, president of the Verrazzano Committee. “I’m sure Joe is going to fit well with the group of past recipients – he deserves it.”

This year’s honoree has spent his entire 43-year non-profit career at Tri-Town, earning the title of CEO in 1980 and overseeing the growth of the organization from a budget of $1 million to $13 million.

During that time, DeSantis maintained a consistent focus on expanding and enhancing the programs delivered by Tri-Town and South County community action agencies, including his work in the early 1990s to bring Head Start back under the agency’s management; his leadership in saving South County Community Action from potential closure in the early 2000s; and his securing of millions of dollars in state, federal and local funding for facility renovations, equipment purchases and other capital improvement projects at the Health Center at Tri-Town’s Johnston headquarters in 2009.

Since 2000, DeSantis has also served as CEO of South County Community Action Agency, and is currently stewarding the merger of both agencies under the new Tri-County Community Action Agency.

A Rhode Island College graduate with a bachelor’s degree in social sciences and a minor in economics, DeSantis has developed a diverse and skilled knowledge base, including governance, finance, human resources, grants management, facilities acquisition and leadership.

The son of Joe and Nina [Ricci] DeSantis, this year’s honoree grew up in the same Woonasquatucket neighborhood as the Tri-Town Health Center in North Providence, and moved to Johnston at age 11. He is a 1967 graduate of Johnston High School, which at the time was still holding split-schedule classes.

DeSantis is a widower and the proud father of Kim Coffey, her husband Joseph Coffey, and dedicated grandfather to their daughter Ilana.

“I am deeply honored to be recognized by the Verrazzano Committee and join the distinguished list of prior recipients of this award,” said DeSantis. “I grew up ingrained with the concept of la famiglia, where older generations served as a foundation for later arrivals to start their lives in America. Tri-Town and South County are, to me, my extended family and a way to provide the same kind of support and care to new members.”

As the first-ever Community Based Organization [CBO] executive added to the Verrazzano Day Committee list of recipients, DeSantis explained that he feels the honor is also recognizing all those who work in the nonprofit sector to better the lives of the less fortunate.

“Community Based Organizations provide critical – and, in some cases, life-saving – resources to people in their cities and towns, and I consider it a great privilege to accept this honor on behalf of all those who put their time, effort, and compassion into improving the lives of people in need,” DeSantis said. “I would like to especially commend the Board of Directors for Tri-Town and South County Community Action Agencies for their support of my work over the past four decades.”

Established in 1960, the Verrazzano Day Observance Committee seeks to uphold and promote Italian culture, share tradition with the community and assist students in attaining their educational goals by awarding a yearly scholarship, among many other endeavors. The organization is named after the Italian explorer who sailed up Narragansett Bay in 1526 and first likened the current-day Block Island to the Island of Rhodes in Greece.

This year’s celebration banquet is scheduled for Saturday, May 16 at the Venus de Milo in Swansea, Mass. 

Comments

No comments on this item Please log in to comment by clicking here