Board of Trustees
Officers
Cathy Lund – President of the Board. Cathy is a feline practitioner and co-owner of City Kitty Veterinary Care for Cats on Hope Street. A 30-year Providence resident, she currently serves on the boards of The Providence Athenaeum, the Providence Historic District Commission, Preserve Rhode Island, the American Association of Feline Practitioners, and the American Veterinary Association. Cathy resides in Providence’s Elmwood neighborhood with her husband, Dr. Peter Karczmar.
Kamaria Hayden – Vice President of the Board. Kamaria is a senior recruiter for Exact Sciences.
Katherine J. Pomplun – Vice President of the Board. Katy Pomplun is the Institutional Giving Officer for Preservation at Historic New England, the oldest and largest regional heritage organization in the nation. She previously served as Grants Coordinator at the R.I. Historical Preservation & Heritage Commission, where she worked closely with community stakeholders and stewarding organizations in support of grant-funded capital preservation projects. She lives with her family in the Elmhurst/Mount Pleasant area of Providence.
Kevin Hundley, CPA – Treasurer of the Board. Kevin is a partner at Withum with more than 25 years of experience in accounting, specializing in construction, real estate, affordable housing, manufacturing, and professional services. Previously, Kevin was the managing partner of Restivo Monacelli which joined Withum in November 2021, and before that, Kevin led the financial institution group at Crowe Chizek and Company LLP, a large regional accounting firm in Ohio, where he performed audits on both public and private companies. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants (AICPA) and Rhode Island Society of Certified Public Accountants (RISCPA). In addition to his board service for PPS, he is also on the board of First Works. Kevin, his wife Karen, and his two children are residents of Pascoag, RI.
Bill Applegate – Secretary of the Board. Bill is a sales associate at Residential Properties Ltd. and was the marketing manager there for several years. Before that, he directed sales and marketing departments for tech companies in the greater Boston area. In the non-profit world, he is a past-President and was the General Manager of The Players at the Barker Playhouse on Benefit Street, where he is now volunteering with managing website content. He is also on the boards of Burbage Theatre Company in Pawtucket (treasurer), the Mile of History Association, and the Rotary Club of Providence. He is a graduate of Brown University with a BS in Engineering and a BA in Economics. Bill and his wife, Holly, have lived on Benefit Street in Providence since 2006 and they have volunteered for PPS over the years.
Trustees
I. Lanre Ajakaiye – I. Lanre Ajakaiye, CEO of 25 Bough Street and IXL Consulting Group LLC, is a transformative force shaping the landscape of Fortune 50 companies, startups, and beloved nonprofits. A first-generation Nigerian American and Providence native, Lanre is a trailblazer recognized with prestigious awards, including the ‘2021 Who to Watch,’ 2022 MLK City of Providence Hall of Fame Inductee, and the 2023 Rhode Island Black Business Association George T. Downing Leadership Award. His current development, the metamorphosis of 25 Bough Street, a 15,794 sq ft commercial, community hub in Olneyville, Providence, reflects his commitment to inclusive community development. This groundbreaking initiative imparts Financial Literacy, Career Awareness & Self Awareness to youth, featuring a multi-purpose hall, co-working space, and a heritage museum. Lanre’s innovative approach, including being the first SEC-approved for Regulation CF (Crowdfunding) in New England, has garnered national acclaim and attention.
Pierson W. Booher, AIA – Pierson is a Principal and Partner at DBVW Architects in Providence, a full-service architecture firm that believes in building strong, resilient, livable communities that promote smart growth, reinforce a unique sense of place, and celebrate the relationship between history and the future. Pierson has dedicated much of his career to the preservation and adaptive reuse of historic properties throughout the United States. He is a strong proponent of identifying ways to integrate emerging technologies and non-destructive methods to test and document existing buildings in an effort to retain as much historic fabric as possible while providing clients with thoughtful, cost-effective solutions. An active member of the Rhode Island Chapter of the American Institute of Architects and the Northeast Chapter of the Association for Preservation Technology, Pierson also serves on several statewide boards and committees. Prior to joining the PPS Board, he served on the 24 Meeting Street Committee, the Design Committee, and the Property Committee. Pierson lives in an early 19th Century farmhouse in Greenville with his wife and two young sons.
Jess BouRamia — Jess is a restoration carpenter specializing in the restoration and fabrication of wood windows, doors, and trim. She is the founder of Providence Window Works, and is an advocate and educator in preservation and the arts.
Walter Conroy — Walter is the Executive Vice President and Deputy General Counsel at Citizens Financial Group. He is a lawyer with over twenty years’ experience providing a broad range of business and legal advice to U.S and international business entities across a wide variety of industries including financial services, renewable energy, technology, media, and consumer products.
Joanna Doherty – Ex Officio. Joanna joined the staff of the Rhode Island Historical Preservation and Heritage Commission in 2013, where she currently serves as Deputy Director and oversees the RIHPHC’s National Register of Historic Places, survey, and archaeology programs. Previously, Joanna was the RIHPHC’s Principal Architectural Historian. In that role, she guided the preparation of dozens of National Register nominations, resulting in nearly 600 resources being listed. Prior to joining the RIHPHC, Joanna served as a Community Planner with the Blackstone River Valley National Heritage Corridor and as a Historic Landscape Planner at the Massachusetts Department of Conservation and Recreation.
Barry Fain – A native of Providence, Barry and his wife Elaine have lived in an 1820 house on the East Side for the past three and a half decades. Currently, Barry is the president of Providence Media, a chain of six local newspapers, Barry is proud to have served on the Boards of United Way, Moses Brown School, the Providence Rotary, and Waterfire. This appointment marks his second participation on the PPS board.
Rochelle Lee – is committed to fostering the right to self-determination of communities of color, low-income, and marginalized peoples by advocating for equitable representation and deeply rooted community-driven decisions on issues that impact their lived experience and the well-being of their natural environment. She has decades of experience developing affordable housing in Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island. She spent 10 years working for the Pawtucket School Department implementing career tech education programs in district high schools. Her time in self-employed work focused on residential, industrial and commercial revitalization. Rochelle’s relationships included municipal, non-profit, and under-resourced business entities. Some of Rochelle’s previous positions include Senior Asset Management Specialist for the National Equity Fund, Senior Program Manager with RI’s Local Initiatives Support Corporation as well Associate Director of Codman Sq NDC in Boston. Her municipal employment history includes a variety of positions with the City of Boston as well as Redevelopment Planner with the Boston Housing Authority.
Rosa Pastor – Ex-officio; Rosa has more than 9 years of experience in the nonprofit and banking industries, with specific expertise in the homeownership process. She currently works at The Washington Trust Company, where she works with potential homebuyers to help educate, advise, and facilitate the purchase of a home.
Jonathan Pitts-Wiley – is a father, husband, storyteller, and educator. A 2007 Yale graduate, he has been the Artistic Director of Mixed Magic Theatre since 2010 and a member of the faculty at Moses Brown School since 2013. An avid photographer, he is also the co-founder of The Vanta Guild, a collective of Rhode Island-based Black photographers. Jonathan is married to Mixed Magic’s music director, Kim Morrison Pitts-Wiley, and the couple lives in North Providence with their two children, Corinne and Joshua.
Matthew Shumate – A Rhode Island native, Shumate is a graduate of Suffolk University, where he earned a bachelor’s degree in history. He is a dedicated public servant with a strong commitment to community-centered leadership. His career in public service began in May 2015 with the City of Providence, where he held several leadership roles, ultimately serving as Deputy Chief of Staff and Senior Advisor on Legislative Affairs to former Mayor Jorge Elorza until January 2022. Following his tenure in the Elorza administration, Shumate served as Deputy Campaign Manager for Helena Buonanno Foulkes’ gubernatorial campaign. Drawn back to his roots in local government, he returned to the City of Providence in January 2023 to serve as Deputy Chief of Staff to Mayor Brett Smiley. Shumate’s unwavering dedication to public service is grounded in his belief that the most meaningful and lasting impact occurs at the local level. His career reflects a deep commitment to improving the lives of Rhode Islanders and advancing the idea that true change begins within our communities.
Barbara Sokoloff – Barbara is president of Barbara Sokoloff Associates, a multifaceted housing, finance, development, and community revitalization consulting firm. BSA has been the development consultant on many notable projects, including the WaterFire Arts Center, more than 2000 affordable housing units, and mixed-use buildings along major thoroughfares. Barbara also serves on the board of the Institute for the Study and Practice of Nonviolence, among others. Barbara resides on Providence’s East Side with her husband, Herbert Rakatansky.
Wm McKenzie “Mack” Woodward – Architectural History Consultant. Former Board member. Among the many publications by Woodward are the 1986 work Providence: A Citywide Survey of Historical Resources, co-written with David Chase and Edward F. Sanderson, and the more recent PPS/AIAri Guide to Providence Architecture, which acts as a historical guidebook to all the structures and sites of architectural significance in the city, granting him a reputation as “the person who knows more about Providence architecture than anyone.” The latter provides 12 self-guided tours covering over 300 buildings, with corresponding maps, photographs, and historical narratives. Woodward is retired as an architectural historian for the Rhode Island Historic Preservation and Heritage Commission.
Carrie Zaslow – Ex-officio; Carrie is the Executive Director of the Providence Revolving Fund. She has an extensive background in community development, finance, and the deployment of effective and innovative programs. Prior to joining the team at the Providence Revolving Fund, she had an 11-year tenure at Local Initiatives Support Corporation (LISC) as well as earlier experience at Randolph Savings Bank and the Housing Network of Rhode Island.