OCG is an all-volunteer, grassroots organization, with the following officers and directors:
Board of Directors through November 2014 (term expiration shown)
Jose F. Batista, Providence (2016) –
BG James J. D’Agostino, USAF (Ret), West Greenwich (2014) – is the former Deputy Commanding General and Assistant Adjutant General for Air of the RI National Guard. He started his military service with 6 years in the Army and earned the Combat Infantry Badge in Vietnam. He then spent 32 years with the Air Force to include 21 years service as the Base Civil Engineer responsible for the Coventry and North Smithfield Air Guard Stations; five years with the National Guard Bureau as United States Property and Fiscal Officer for Rhode Island; and the remaining time in several assignments culminating with his general officer appointment. His civilian experience includes 11 years with the City of Providence culminating as Deputy City Traffic Engineer. He is Past President of the Rhode Island Reserve Officers Association, National Guard Association of Rhode Island, RINGTEC Federal Credit Union, and Past Commander of the RI Commandery Military Order of Foreign Wars. He has served twice as Chairman of the SHARE Foundation at UMASS Dartmouth and is a board member of several other organizations. Jim is active with numerous other professional affiliations.
Charles Dress, Warwick (2016) — Charles retired from The Robbins Company in Attleboro, Mass., a company with an employee population of over 500, as Director of Human Resources. In his active retirement career he has worked at tennis clubs and mentored children and adults. He is Treasurer of Silver Haired Legislature which reviews both State and Federal legislation. He is a member of the Rhode Island AARP State Legislative Committee where he is a strong voice for seniors regarding State and Federal questions. In addition to his participation in many other groups he recently became part of AARP Community Action, a seniors start-up group in Warwick, which will meet with seniors on questions on healthcare, retirement, and similar senior oriented issues.
Michael Goldberg, Cranston (2016) — Michael is an attorney practicing in Providence. He frequently advises and represents political organizations and campaigns. Michael lives in Cranston with his wife and young daughter.
Robert Haiken, Warwick (2014) – came to Rhode Island with his Fcilities Engineer job at a pharmaceutical plant and has since retired, He has degrees in Nautical Science (U. S. Merchant Marine Academy) and Mechanical Engineering (Newark College of Engineering, now N.J. Institute of Technology). After settling in Rhode Island, the need to work for Rhode Island governmental reform was shockingly apparent to Bob. OCG offered a vehicle to do so. Bob’s other volunteer activities include Literacy Volunteers of Kent County, URI Water Watch program, Save the Bay currently, and prior, the Sloop Providence, and RI Food Bank,. In New Jersey, he served as an EMT and was a volunteer fireman. He and his wife Lyn are happy transplants to Rhode Island. They have a daughter living in New Jersey and a grandson attending Johnson and Wales.
Margaret Kane, Barrington (2015) — After a brief stint teaching in the Attleboro Schools, Margaret began a 34 year career at the American Lung Association of Rhode Island, where she spent the last 18 years as its Executive Director. For nearly all of that time she served as an advocate/lobbyist for the Association in all areas pertaining to lung health. Most notable was her leadership in urging the passage of landmark legislation to ban smoking in all public places, worksites, restaurants and bars. Currently, she works as a realtor at Coldwell Banker Residential Brokerage in Barrington. She twice ran, unsuccessfully, for the RI House of Representatives, District #66 and for Barrington Town Council. Prior to becoming the President of OCG, she spent two years chairing an informal coalition to eliminate the single lever (straight party) vote from the RI ballot. Margaret is Chair of the Barrington Senior Activities Advisory Board which was instrumental in the development of plans for a ‘cross-generational’ community center.” She now, also, chairs the Task Force to build that Community Center.
Francis L. Lennon, Providence (2016) – Frank founded the effort to develop a family attraction and education center featuring an aircraft carrier as the centerpiece. For twelve years he has worked to generate grass roots, bipartisan support for the $12 million non-profit project. A West Point graduate, Frank also holds an M.A. in International Relations from Boston University. He was a Reuters correspondent in the Middle East, and has written many articles relating to international politics, aviation and nautical subjects. He has also been an analyst on MSNBC for terrorism and special operations issues. His military service included two combat assignments in Vietnam (one as a Green Beret). After five years working for major airlines, he started his own marketing and publishing business. Frank organized and ran Rhode Island’s salute to the centennial of aviation, and launched the Rhode Island Aviation Hall of Fame. He was named a Rhode Island Foundation Fellow for 2003/2004, and hosted OCG’s “State of the State” interviews during the 2006 political campaign. Lennon is President/Founder of the international Aviation Heritage Group, and Past President of the West Point Society of Rhode Island. He serves on four other non-profit boards.
Victor (Vic) L. Profughi, Smithfield (2015) — With an earned Ph. D. in Politics Science, Vic semi-retired after more than 35 years at Rhode Island College, where he is a professor emeritus. He continues to teach public personnel at URI as a member of its graduate faculty. With a long interest in civic education he directed the Robert A. Taft Institute for Government for teachers and libraries at RIC for 10 plus years, created both the college’s Center for Public Policy and Bureau of Government Research and Services, and was active in its American Democracy Projects, including Debate Watch and other voter education and election endeavors. Recognized as the dean of public opinion pollsters in Rhode Island, he continues to provide polling, research and consulting services to candidates, issue groups, and the media.
Sandy Riojas, Providence (2014) — Born and raised in Texas, Sandy Riojas credits her political activism to her paternal grandmother whose political work helped to advance the Hispanic community in South Texas. Sandy’s degrees in Education include a Masters from Rhode Island College and Bachelors from the University of Texas-Pan American. An educator, she has worked in Texas, California, Oklahoma, and Rhode Island. Sandy is a community liaison, political advocate for minority and women issues, and lobbyist for Operation Clean Government. She serves on several boards such as Bannister House, Black and Latino Caucus Community Partnership, R.I. State Police Citizens Advisory Board, and Cesar Chavez Committee. Sandy is a past member of the Women’s Fund Policy Institute, Univocal Legislative Minority Advisory Coalition (ULMAC), and the R.I. Latino Civic Fund/R.I. Latino Political Action Committee.
Barry Schiller, North Providence (2014) – Barry is a retired mathematics professor from Rhode Island College. Barry has been active in the campaign for voter initiative, in opposing gambling expansion, and as a volunteer lobbyist for environmental protection. He is a member of the North Providence Environment Commission and is an alternate member of that town’s Zoning Board of Review. Barry also serves as a member of the state’s Transportation Advisory Committee where he is generally supportive of investing in our roads, bridges, and transit system while being outspoken in support of public input and proper spending of the funds. He plans to help with OCG legislation and build coalitions with like-minded groups to bring reform to RI government.
Jeffrey Techentin, North Kingstown (2015) – Jeff is an attorney who practices throughout Rhode Island and the region. His work as an attorney is focused on intellectual property issues, including patents and trademark. After serving as a prosecutor and legal assistance attorney for the U.S. Army Judge Advocate General’s Corps, Jeff continued to practice law in the private sector. From 1998 to 2002, he was a commercial litigator for Pepper Hamilton, a large multidisciplinary law firm in Philadelphia. Since moving to Rhode Island in 2002, he has practiced with Adler, Pollock & Sheehan, P.C., in Providence. His practice encompasses all forms of complex litigation, from constitutional challenges to patent infringement litigation. In addition to his commercial law practice, Jeff is committed to public interest causes, which he supports by serving on boards of directors of non-profit entities, pro bono work, and through the representation of clients. Recently, he has been involved in challenges to various practices of the North Kingstown School Department, including having successfully represented two North Kingstown residents in a lawsuit involving charges of political retribution. Jeff is a resident of North Kingstown and the father of three children. His daughter attends North Kingstown High School and his two sons attend Bishop Hendricken High School. His wife Julia practices corporate law with him at Adler Pollock & Sheehan.
Arthur S. Weber, Jr. (Colonel, USMC, Ret.) (2016) - Art began his military career by enlisting in the Marine Corps in 1966. He became an infantry officer and was in Vietnam from 1968-1969 with the 1st Recon Battalion, where he earneda Bronze Star and a Purple Heart. During his career he commanded Battalion 2/2 out of Camp Lejeune, directed Ninth Marine Corp District Recruiting out of Kansas City, MO, and commanded the NROTC Unit at Norwich University in Northfield, VT. Art works as a real estate broker for Prudential Prime Properties in Middletown, and co-teaches an elective on the Vietnam War at the Naval War College. He served on the Middletown Planning Board from 2000-2010 (Chairman from 2005-2010), the Aquidneck Island Planning Commission from 2002-2010 (Chairman from 2002-2010) and the Middletown Town Council, as President, from 2010-2012. He and his wife Kathy, who is a librarian, live in Middletown. Their daughter is a Middletown High School graduate, and recently completed her freshman year in college. For equal parts relaxation and frustration, Art enjoys golf, gardening, and deer hunting.
Officers 2013-2014 (New officers are elected at the December board meeting)
President: Margaret Kane — Barrington
1st Vice President: Frank Lennon – Providence
2nd Vice President: Sandy Riojas – Providence
Secretary: BG James J. D’Agostino, USAF (Ret) – West Greenwich
Treasurer: Bob Haiken – Warwick
Corresponding Secretary: Position vacant