BOARD OF DIRECTORS

Commerce Corporation Board Member

Erin Donovan-Boyle’s attention to details, network of contacts and broad policy experience has led to her to her current position as the President & CEO of the Greater Newport Chamber of Commerce. There, she has led the re-positioning of the organization to encompass a robust organization providing quality programming and events for members and regular advocacy for the broader business community, as well as the development of a regional economic development division focusing on business outreach, retention and attraction strategies for the region, and an entrepreneurship and innovation arm leading projects to further develop the regional ecosystem.

Prior to her work at the Chamber, she was Outreach Director for Rhode Island’s Senior Senator, Jack Reed in his Providence office. There she supported the Senator and his staff in direct outreach to organizations, municipalities, and businesses regarding local initiatives and the impact of federal programs and legislative policies.

Before her public service, Donovan-Boyle had her own company called Capital Resource Strategies, a consultant firm based on assisting companies, non-profit organizations, quasi-public agencies and municipalities with organizational development, project management, and identifying and seeking funding sources for various projects and programs. One of her largest projects was the Ocean State Tall Ships Festival 2012.

Since the beginning of Erin Donovan-Boyle’s career, she has been involved with many different types of clients with different policy initiatives and in various industries throughout Rhode Island. Issue areas include education, construction and historical renovation, tourism, public safety, defense-related industries, environmental clean-up, labor, health IT, long-term care, a regional Chamber of Commerce, trade organizations, municipalities, a university of higher education and non-profit organizations. Her primary focus has included policy advocacy, government relations efforts, politics, grant writing, project management, and business/organization development.

As Campaign Manager for a statewide political campaign to re-elect Rhode Island’s Secretary of State A. Ralph Mollis in 2010, and also in her past position of eight years as the Vice President of the Mayforth Group, Donovan has continuously produced successful outcomes for her clients. At the Mayforth Group, a prominent government relations firm in Rhode Island, she was the individual who brought initiatives to completion, including organizing effective grassroots campaigns, completing legislative initiatives and obtaining millions of dollars from funding sources for their numerous clients.

Donovan-Boyle completed her Master of Science degree in Policy Studies from Edinburgh University in Scotland, UK in 2010 and also obtained a Master of Arts degree in International Relations from Salve Regina University in Newport, Rhode Island in 2008. An honors student at Coastal Carolina University in Conway, South Carolina, Donovan graduated Cum Laude with a degree in Political Science and was named the Thomas W. and Robin W. Edwards College of Humanities and Fine Arts 2011 Alumnus of the Year. She has also studied International Affairs in Oxford, England and French in Nice, France.

Donovan-Boyle was recently recognized as a Woman to Watch in 2019 by the Providence Business News. She is a RIPEC Trustee, RI Commodore, the past Chair of the Board of the New England Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives, and a member of the Rhode Island District Export Council. She also serves on Salve Regina University’s Graduate and Business Advisory Boards, the RI Commerce Corporation’s Wavemaker Fellow Advisory Committee, and Innovate Newport Board of Directors. Additionally, she was an elected member of the Smithfield School Committee for four years, and has also served on a number of other Executive Boards throughout her career.