ATEL Committee Members

§ 39-23-1 Committee – Composition. – There is hereby created a permanent committee to be known as the adaptive telephone equipment loan program committee. This committee shall advise on the program and shall consist of fifteen (15) members.

Eleven Governor Appointees:

Seven consumers (including one from each of the following communities: the hard of hearing or deaf community, the speech impaired community and the neuromuscular impaired community):

Jeanne Panarace - Hard of Hearing/Deaf Community
Jeannepanarace@cox.net

James Litvack-Hard of Hearing/Deaf Community
james.litvack@t-mobile.com 

Ellen Lenox Smith - Neuromuscular Disability Community
RI Arthritis Foundation Ambassador
US Pain Ambassador
Ellen.smith2@gmail.com

Christine Constantineau - Hard of Hearing/Deaf Community
christineconstantineau@gmail.com

Elaine Pesce - Hard of Hearing/Deaf Community
elainepesce01@gmail.com

One professional member (an audiologist, physician or speech pathologist):

Laurie Duffy - Audiologist/Professional Member
lfduffy@cox.net

Three members of the general public:

Melissa Rosenberg -General Public/OSCIL
Melissa.Rosenberg@oscil.org

Alexander Laferriere - General Public
alexander_laferriere@brown.edu

Four Other Appointees:

One from the House of Representatives (appointed by the speaker):

Eileen Naughton
Rhode Island House or Representatives, District 21, Warwick
House Finance Committee
Room 07B Statehouse
Providence, Rhode Island 02903
rep-naughton@rilin.state.ri.us

One from the Senate (appointed by the president of the senate):

Senator Hanna Gallo
Care of Senate Chamber
Rhode Island State Senate
82 Smith Street
Providence, RI 02903
sen-gallo@rilin.state.ri.us

One representative of the telephone company (appointed by its chief executive officer):

Joe Pereira, Field Service Supervisor
Cox Communications
9 J.P. Murphy Highway
West Warwick, RI 02893
Joe.Pereira@cox.com

One representative of the public utilities commission (appointed by the chairperson of the public utilities commission):

Rudolph Falcone- Chief Financial Commission 
Alan Nault- Public Utilities Analyst

PUC
89 Jefferson Boulevard
Warwick, RI 02888 
rudolph.s.falcone@puc.ri.gov
alan.nault@puc.ri.gov

Non-members (but informed of all activities):

Denise Corson - ATEL Program Coordinator
DHS
40 Fountain St.
Providence, RI 02903-1828
denise.corson@ors.ri.gov

Melanie Sbardella - Assistant Administrator - SBVI
DHS
40 Fountain Street
Providence, RI 02903-1828
melanie.sbardella@ors.ri.gov

Bob Cooper -Executive Secretary -Governor’s Commission on Disability
Pastore Center
13 Cherrydale Court
Cranston, RI 02920
bob.cooper@gcd.ri.gov 

Earnest Covington- Executive Director CDHH
One Capitol Hill, Ground Level
Providence, RI 02908 
earnest.covington@cdhh.ri.gov