Our Leadership Team
Board of Directors
The Rhode Island Airport Corporation is governed by a Board of Directors, consisting of seven members appointed by the Governor of the State of Rhode Island and serve staggered terms.
Jonathan N. Savage
Michael Traficante
Deborah M. Thomas
Jonathan N. Savage is a partner at Savage Law Partners, LLP and chairs the firm’s Corporate and Business department, Public Sector/Governmental Services department, and Co-chairs the firm’s Receivership and Business Insolvency department. Mr. Savage has extensive experience in all matters relating to business representation, including financial and corporate restructuring, labor negotiations and strategy, work-out, debt strategy, transactional work, and creative structuring. Mr. Savage has served as the de facto CEO of private companies, a publicly traded corporation, a municipality, a federal detention facility, and a large community hospital. In such roles he was ultimately responsible for all management operations, labor strategy and negotiation, financing, and business stabilization. Mr. Savage has extensive experience in matters relating to the public sector and governmental services and agencies, often involving regulatory issues and complex government operational issues. As a prominent leader of the legal community, Mr. Savage has been honored by his peers and judges with the AV Preeminent rating from Martindale Hubbell which is the highest rating based on both legal ability and ethics.
Michael Traficante is Director of Governmental Affairs and Educational Initiatives at The New England Laborers’ Labor-Management Cooperation Trust and had previously served as the Mayor of the City of Cranston for fourteen years. He has more than 30 years of experience in governmental and educational affairs and serves as point person for business pertaining to Municipal, State, and Federal legislation and education apprentice programs. Mayor Traficante earned his B.A. from the University of Rhode Island and his Masters of Education from Rhode Island College. He is a member of the Cranston School Committee, Cranston Housing Authority Board, Boy Scout’s of America Board of Directors, Cranston/Providence Workforce Development Board, and Chairman of the Board of Directors of the New England Laborers/Cranston Public Schools Construction and Career Academy.
As Executive Vice President and Chief Financial Officer of Hasbro, Inc., Deborah Thomas leads the company’s global corporate financial operations— from treasury, tax, and investor relations, to internal audit, accounting and control, and business planning and analysis. She also oversees the company’s global information technology organization. Since joining Hasbro in 1998, Deborah has played a key role in Hasbro’s expansion across media and markets around the world, and has helped manage nearly every major acquisition Hasbro has made over the past two decades. Prior to becoming CFO in 2009, Deborah served as Hasbro’s Corporate Comptroller and Head of Corporate Finance. Before joining Hasbro, she held assurance positions at KPMG Peat Marwick, LLP in the U.S. and the U.K. Deborah currently serves on the boards of Logitech and the Rhode Island Airport Corporation. She has earned recognition for her achievements in and out of the boardroom—as March of Dimes Rhode Island’s Citizen of the Year, and as one of Providence Business News’ CFOs of the Year. Deborah graduated from Providence College and is a CPA.
RIAC Board Chairman 2014 – present
10
RIAC Board Vice Chairman 2001 – present
RIAC Board Treasurer 2010 – present
