Biographies of Brown Alumni Association Officers, 2009 - 2011
Learn more about these elected positions.
President
Joseph M. Fernandez
Providence, Rhode Island
A.B. ’85, American Civilization
J.D. ’91, Harvard Law School
Joe Fernandez is the city solicitor of the City of Providence, overseeing all civil and criminal litigation, labor and employment matters, and corporate and regulatory affairs affecting the city. He joined city government from private practice as a commercial litigator in Providence and New York City. In the Providence community, Joe is a trustee of Trinity Repertory Company.
Joe has served as a Brown Alumni Schools Committees (BASC) interviewer since 1993. From 1995 to 2003, he was a member of the Brown Corporation Committee on Minority Affairs. He joined the BAA Board of Governors in 2002 and chaired its Multicultural Alumni Committee. In 2002, he also chaired the executive committee of the Asian/Asian American Alumni Alliance. Joe has been a director of the Brown Club of Rhode Island since 2001 and previously co-chaired the club’s Multicultural Activities Committee. He has been a regular panel moderator and participant at Brown’s Career Week. In 2006, Joe received the BAA’s Alumni Service Award, honoring distinguished, continuing volunteer service to Brown.
Interested in serving because:
Giving back to Brown is important to me. Since graduation, my service to Brown has increased steadily. With each new and different role, I have enjoyed bringing students, alumni, faculty, and staff closer to the University and to one another. The BAA plays a critical role in directing the time and talent of Brown alumni toward realizing the University’s ambitious goals. My varied roles at Brown have prepared me well to lead the BAA at this exciting time in Brown’s history.
President-Elect
George H. Billings
Falmouth, Massachusetts
Fort Lauderdale, Florida
A.B. ’72, Literature
M.B.A. ’77, Harvard Business School
George is president of Billings & Co., a management consulting firm serving both Fortune 500 and development stage companies. A pioneering executive in the cellular telephone and satellite TV industries in the United States and Latin America, George developed and implemented strategies that drive those businesses today. He has served on the boards of directors of many private and public companies, including Avid Technology, where he chairs the audit committee and is a member and former chair of the nominating and governance committee.
For Brown, George has served as secretary of the Brown Alumni Association(BAA)Board of Governors, chair of its Student Alumni Connections Task Force, member of the BAA Careers and Networking Committee, president of the Association of Class Leaders, vice chair for Boldly Brown: The Campaign for Academic Enrichment, co-chair of the Brown entrepreneurship funding initiative, board member of the student run Brown University Entrepreneurship Program, interviewer for the Brown Alumni Schools Committees(BASC), member of the Brown Annual Fund Executive Committee, and president of the Class of 1972. In 2002, George received the BAA’s Alumni Service Award, and in 2008, the Brown Bear Award.
Interested in serving because:
Brown has given me so much: a great education, continuing opportunities to learn and grow, and countless, enduring friendships, not only among classmates, but also among alumni of every generation and quarter. From my volunteer roles, I know firsthand the great benefits students and alumni enjoy through their ties to Brown and to each other. I am excited about the opportunities to build on those foundations and, if elected, to lead the BAA in delivering to Brown’s alumni the programs and initiatives that meet their needs and enrich their lives.
Treasurer
Nancy Kail Rodriguez
Riverside, Connecticut
A.B. ’84, International Relations
M.B.A./M.A. ’89, Wharton School/School of Arts & Sciences, University of Pennsylvania
Nancy is founder and chair of the Greenwich Alliance for Education, a public-private partnership serving more than 11,000 public school children. Nancy previously worked in the corporate finance department of Wertheim Schroder & Company, PLC, a New York- and London-based bank.
For Brown, Nancy is involved in Boldly Brown: The Campaign for Academic Enrichment. For more than 10 years, she has served on the Brown Annual Fund Leadership Council and its predecessor. She was co-chair of the reunion gift committee for her 15th, 20th, and 25th reunions and serves on the Women’s Leadership Council. Her service also includes mentoring seniors through the Women’s Launch Pad program, the Brown Alumni Schools Committees (BASC), and supporting Brown’s new Havana, Cuba, undergraduate study abroad program. Nancy has received both the Ittleson Award and a Spotlight Award in honor of her service to the Brown Annual Fund and BASC, respectively.
Interested in serving because:
Brown is a vibrant, world-class university that has thrived under the dynamic leadership of President Ruth Simmons. As one of your BAA officers, I would work to increase engagement among alumni of diverse backgrounds and different areas of the university. As treasurer, I would provide prudent stewardship and oversight of the BAA’s investments, revenues, and expenses. I’m convinced the current environment will present as many opportunities as challenges for Brown. With this in mind, I look forward to connecting with you.
Secretary
Gail R. Solomon
Pawtucket, Rhode Island
A.B. ’76, Theatre Arts
B.F.A. ’84, Rhode Island School of Design
Gail has been a graphic designer for more than twenty years, with her own studio for the past eleven. She has created print collateral, identity systems, websites and signage for commercial clients and nonprofit institutions. She finds it particularly rewarding that every assignment provides an opportunity to understand, and ultimately to communicate, the culture and objectives of a unique organization. Gail’s work has taken her to places as disparate as Portland, Oregon and Sabanagrande, Honduras.
Gail feels privileged to serve currently as president of the Brown Club of Rhode Island, which reaches over 6,000 alumni in Connecticut, Massachusetts and Rhode Island. Her core focus has been to use communication as an effective way to increase participation and to ensure the continuation of the club’s Madeira Award, given annually to an outstanding Brown senior concentrating in music. In addition, Gail has served as vice president, and several times as reunion co-chair, of the Class of 1976. She and her co-chair received the Nan Tracy Award for their creative efforts to strengthen the engagement of the class.
Interested in serving because:
There’s just something about Brown alumni. Perhaps it’s because Brown provided us with the inspiration and also the courage to live our lives in unpredictable ways. As both a member and president of the Brown Club of Rhode Island, it has been wonderful to be able to engage with, and experience Brown’s influence on, multiple generations of alumni. I would like to continue to help expand the possibilities of this extraordinary community.