Leading our efforts...

Valerie M. Littlefield, PMP
President of the Board of Directors, RIFC
AIPSO
Johnston, RI

Marie Ghazal, MS, RN
Chief Executive Officer

After a 33-year career as a nurse and senior administrator championing community health programs in Rhode Island, Marie Ghazal became CEO of the Rhode Island Free Clinic in March 2010, heralding a major turning point for the Clinic. Marie has extensive experience in community health centers, developing and implementing programs and services for disadvantaged populations and securing new sources of revenue. She previously served as a Health Center Director in Central Falls and for the past 20 years as a Senior Vice President of Patient Care for the Community Health Centers in Providence. Marie holds a Masters in Community Health from Boston University and a Bachelors of Science Degree in Nursing from the University of Rhode Island.

Marie is a seasoned leader who is well-respected in the Rhode Island community. Over the years, she has been honored as the top-nursing alumni at URI, inducted as a Community Leader by Sigma Theta Tau, selected for the President's Award by Rhode Island State Nurses Association and as a semi-finalist for the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation Executive Nurse Fellows Program. Most recently, she was selected as a gubernatorial appointee to the RI Healthcare Reform Commission, was a Management Fellow at Harvard Business School's Strategic Perspectives in Nonprofit Management and received the 2011 American Academy of Nurse Practitioners Advocate Award for RI.

Stephanie Danforth Chafee
Co-founder and President Emerita

Stephanie Danforth Chafee co-founded Rhode Island Free Clinic in 1999, serving as its first Board President until 2004. She remains active in the organization as President Emerita of the Board of Directors. She is a registered nurse and holds a Master of Business Administration degree with a concentration in Health Care Management from the University of Connecticut. In May 2004 the University of Rhode Island recognized Mrs. Chafee with a Doctor of Humane Letters honorary degree. As an advocate of the medically underserved, Mrs. Chafee’s visionary leadership has been integral to the success of Rhode Island Free Clinic.

Board Vice President
Mark Gim
The Washington Trust Company
Westerly, RI

Board Treasurer
Thomas N. Forsythe
DiSanto, Priest & Co. 
Warwick, RI

Board Secretary
William Fitzgerald
Amica Mutual Insurance Company
Lincoln, RI

Board Medical Director
Caroline Troise, MD
Anchor Medical Associates
Providence, RI

Lelani Bonner
RI Small Business Development Center
Johnson & Wales University
Providence, RI

Jeffrey Chase-Lubitz, Esq.
Donoghue, Barrett, & Singal
Providence, RI

Andrew Davis, Esq.
Davis and Lentz, LLC
Providence, RI

Judy Diaz, MPH, RN
Lifespan Community Health Institute
East Providence, RI

George Greer
Navigator Investments
Providence, RI

Kathleen Hittner, MD
Lifespan
Providence, RI

Ronald Jordan, RPh
University of RI College of Pharmacy
Kingston, RI

Dayle Joseph, PhD
University of RI College of Nursing
Kingston, RI

Herbert Rakatansky, MD
Professor Emeritus
Warren Alpert School of Medicine: Brown University
Providence, RI

Mark Waggoner
Blue Cross & Blue Shield of RI
Providence, RI

Miriam Weizenbaum
DeLuca & Weizenbaum, LLC
Providence, RI

Reverend J. Allen Williams, D. Min, MPA
Cathedral of Life Christian Assembly
Providence, RI